Solonetzic soilscapes in the northern Caspian Lowland: local and spatial heterogeneity of pedofeatures and their changes in time

Abstract

A comparative micromorphological analysis of soil fabrics within two- and three-component semidesert solonetz complexes formed within closed-drainage plains with different types of microtopography in the northern of the Caspian Lowland has been conducted. Micromorphological features of soils of most extensively studied three-component solonetz complexes having soil cover with a high degree of contrast are indicative of divergent evolutionary trends during the past half century. On the basis of these features, different directions of degradation of solonetzic and saline horizons are revealed. Although degradation of solonetz horizons is practically undetectable at a macro-scale, its micromorphological features are clearly manifested in parameters of aggregates, characteristics of coatings and types of salt pedofeatures. Common factors of solonetz evolution in nearby regions allow extrapolation of the micromorphological indicators of solonetz degradation to a wide range of objects including two-component solonetz complexes.

Keywords

• solonetz complexes
• micromorphology
• soil genesis and evolution