PECULIARITIES OF SOME KAMCHATKA SOILS AND NECESSITY OF THEIR PRESERVATION

Abstract

The characteristics of four soils of the Kamchatka Peninsula that are mostly needed protection are presented in the article. Reference plots have been allocated for two of them, which are proposed for inclusion in the Red Book of Soils of Russia. Their morphology is described; photos of soil profiles, cartographies of their location are given. One of the sites characterizes ochre typical soil which is zonal for the region, the other – a rare soil on diatomite deposits. A plot located in the area of the village Sosnovka (Yelizovsky district) which earlier was the basis for the most complete description of the first soil was proposed as a reference for it. The reference for the second soil is a small relief lowering, located at the southern tip of Sredinny Range in the valley of the Plotnikov River, representing the only location of this soil on the peninsula. Each site proposed for protection is recommended to be given the protected status of a ‟Natural monument” of regional significance.