Diagnostics of soils of different altitudinal vegetation belts in the Middle Urals according to group composition of iron compounds

Abstract

The soil genesis and classification position in different altitude-vegetation belts of the Middle Urals were determined on the territory of the Basegi Nature Reserve during 2009–2013. For improving the soil diagnostics (using the Northern Baseg mountain as an example), we quantified the group composition of iron compounds, and examined the distribution types of iron compounds across the soil profiles. The character of profile distribution of iron forms is governed by physical weathering and soil-forming processes: burozem formation, biological iron fixation, gleying, oxidogenesis, alfehumic illuviation, and redox alfehumic differentiation. No signs of podzolization were revealed in the soils. For the goletz belt, dry peat podburs (ocherous subtype) and ferruginized litho-sod-eluvozem were identified for the first time in conditions of the mountain tundra on the western macroslope of the Middle Urals. The study determined different combinations of the processes in the soils for the altitude-vegetation belts.