Genetic features of soils in the basin of Lake Kotokel, the Transbaikal region

Abstract

The diversity of the soils and the specific features of the pedogenesis in the basin of Lake Kotokel have been studied. The specificity of the pedogenesis and soil cover patterns in the lake basin are controlled by the altitudinal zonation, the diversity of parent materials, and the influence of air masses from Lake Baikal. Gray metamorphic soils and raw-humus burozems developed under taiga vegetation in the mountains predominate in the basin of Lake Kotokel. The coastal landscapes and river valleys are occupied by swampy and meadow alluvial soils. The genetic features of the major soils have been characterized on the basis of field descriptions, laboratory data, and special macro- and micromorphological studies.