Mountain soils: their characteristics and properties, areas of distribution and features

Mountain soil types are widespread. This type of soil is characterized by certain features. However, it has limited agricultural use. This is due to the location and composition of the land. In such areas, vineyards and some fruit trees are mainly planted. It is important to take into account that mountain soils have many varieties.

Features of types of mountain soils

Mountain areas are characterized by different types of soil, each of which has unique properties:

1. Mountain-tundra - formed in the subnival zone.They represent the highest link in the system of altitudinal zonality of soils. Distinctive features of their appearance are considered to be the predominance of low temperatures, a short growing season, and a powerful snow cover that persists for a long time. In such conditions, problems with the development of higher vegetation are observed. Therefore, mosses and lichens mainly grow in such soils.
2. Mountain-meadow - formed on the leached weathering products of dense rocks. They occupy the peaks and upper parts of the ridges and mountains of various exposures. The climatic conditions for the development of such types of soil are characterized by a large amount of precipitation. They reach 1000-1500 millimeters per year. Vegetation is dominated by subalpine and short-grass alpine meadows.

Mountain-meadow lands have 2 main varieties - alpine and subalpine. The first group is distinguished by a peculiar dry peat horizon, the thickness of which is 1-2 centimeters.This is the key difference from other types of mountain meadows. Compared to subalpine soils, alpine soils are more acidic, less saturated, and not as high in cation exchange capacity.

The formation of subalpine soils is observed below the alpine belt. These areas are characterized by a milder climate. Plants that belong to such meadows reach a height of 60 centimeters. Their roots are considered more powerful and penetrate the soil better.

The main difference between subalpine soil and alpine soil is the absence of a dry peat horizon and a softer composition of humus. It contains a smaller amount of weakly humified residues. In addition, this type of soil is distinguished by a greater thickness of the humus profile. Subalpine lands are characterized by less acidity. They have a higher cation exchange capacity and are well saturated with bases.

Zonality formation factors

Soil characteristics are influenced by various factors - climatic features, topography, age, vegetation, animals. To a greater extent, such lands are common on the slopes of the highest parts of the mountain ranges, which belong to the polar and boreal belts. Soils are formed on rubble eluvium and eluvium-deluvium of dense rocks. They may differ in composition and origin.

Usually mountain soils do not form a continuous soil cover. They alternate with outcrops of rocks, placers of stones, forests.

Soils of selected areas

The composition of the soil may vary depending on regional characteristics. This should definitely be taken into account when analyzing its composition and structure.

Caucasus Mountains

This mountain system is distinguished by a pronounced vertical zonality and a gradual increase in continentality and dryness of the climate from the western part to the east.In the south, the Caucasus Mountains are distinguished by the spread of chernozems, which are replaced by chestnut lands to the east. But the main part of the massif is occupied by burozems.

Ural Mountains

These mountains occupy several geographical zones at once - boreal, polar, subboreal. Coarse-humus lithozems are typical for the Polar Urals. Small areas of podzols and podburs are also observed.

Regions of the Middle and Northern Urals contain loamy-argillaceous deposits, which are distinguished by a gravel structure. In the Middle Urals, under the southern taiga forests, soddy-podzolic soils are observed. The main part of the Southern Urals is occupied by gray soils of broad-leaved-coniferous forests.

Mountain regions of Siberia and the Far East

Soils of Siberia and the Far East have been studied rather poorly.The mountain ranges of the north are characterized by 2 altitudinal belts. These include mountain tundra and northern taiga. Soil cover components depend on many factors - geological structure, steepness of slopes, orographic structure.

Podburs dominate in Central Siberia. This region is also characterized by gravel types of soil. They are replaced by cryozems and outcrops of dense rocks. Field soils are represented in the North-East of Siberia. Cryozems predominate on the northern slopes of the taiga belt.

In the mountainous regions of the Far East, dry peaty podburs are predominantly found. Since the mountain systems are of insufficient height, this limits the formation of tundra soils. They are located only in the zone of intermountain depressions, which are open to the Sea of Okhotsk. Podzolic soils and podburs are found on the slopes of the mountains facing west and in the regions far from the sea of the northern Amur region.

Mountains of Sakhalin and Kamchatka

In the north, sparse larch forests are common, which grow on peat-gley soils. Raised sphagnum bogs are also found in these regions. To the south are spruce-fir forests that grow on brown taiga soils. The southwest is characterized by mixed forests, in which there is an admixture of broad-leaved trees. This zone is dominated by brown forest soils.

Mountain regions of the Baikal and Transbaikalia

The composition of the soil cover of these regions is considered to be very uniform. Lithozems are found here. There are loaches in the upper points. There are also combinations of podburs and podzols in the larch taiga and a small amount of cryozems.

Sod metamorphosed soil types are observed in the birch-larch taiga. The valleys of large rivers are occupied by cryptogley chernozems, which have permafrost features in their profiles.

Agricultural applications

Mountain lands are characterized by limited use in agriculture. This is due to their inaccessibility, increased rockiness, the threat of mudflows and landslides on large mountain slopes. Most often, the soils of mountainous areas are used as grasslands and haylands.

In those places where relief features allow, the soil can be used in agriculture. Brown soils and mountain yellow soils make it possible to grow orchards and vineyards.

Mountain forests, which include tree and fruit species, are also of high value. These include pistachios, walnuts, apple trees. On mountain gray soils, you can grow cereals that are resistant to drought.

Mountain soils have unique features.They have many varieties, which are characterized by different composition and structure. At the same time, this type of soil is rarely used for agricultural purposes, since it has a difficult topography and inaccessibility.

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