Evolution of forest pedogenesis in the south of the forest-steppe of the Central Russian Upland in the Late Holocene

Abstract

The Late Holocene stage of forest pedogenesis has been studied on the interfluves along river valleys in the forest-steppe zone of the Central Russian Upland. The development of gray forest soils from the former chernozems as a result of the Late Holocene advance of forest vegetation over steppes is discussed. It is argued that the climatic conditions of the Subatlantic period were unstable, so that multiple alternation of forest and steppe vegetation communities took place. This specified a complex character of soil evolution upon contrasting substitution of forest pedogenesis for steppe pedogenesis. On the interfluves near the natural drainage network (balkas, ravines, and steep slopes of river valleys), the climate-driven dynamics of forest and steppe vegetation with corresponding changes in the character of pedogenesis could take place during the entire Holocene, which is reflected in a lower thickness of humus profiles and deeper leaching of carbonates from chernozems of the Early Iron Age in comparison with their analogues formed under steppe cenoses in central parts of the interfluves. Two variants of the evolution of gray forest soils can be suggested: the pulsating evolution typical of balkas and interfluves near river valleys and the continuous progressive evolution typical of automorphic (plakor) positions in central parts of the interfluves.