Soils of the West Siberian Plain: 5 predominant types and vegetation

The West Siberian Plain is located in the west of Asia. The climate - continental in the north and temperate in the rest - determines the formation of soil zones. Let us consider the features of the soils of the West Siberian Plain, the predominant types: tundra-gley, podzolic and sod-podzolic, permafrost-taiga, chernozems and meadow-chernozems. What vegetation grows on them.

Features of the soils of Western Siberia

The continentality of the climate increases towards the south-east of the plain, in general, it is more contrasting than in the nearby Russian Plain, but milder than in Eastern Siberia.In the northern and central parts of the plain, the moisture coefficient exceeds 1, which indicates excessive moisture. Under such conditions, the territory is swamped, which in some places reaches 80%.

Swamps are located on a third of the territory of Western Siberia. Their development is due to the flat relief, strong moisture, prolonged floods, poor drainage and the underlying layer of permafrost. There is a lot of peat in the swamps. In the south, the coefficient is less than 1, which indicates insufficient moisture.

The natural zones of Western Siberia extend with pronounced zonality. Located, replacing each other from north to south: tundra, forest-tundra, forests with swamps, forest-steppe, turning into steppe. In Western Siberia, there are no mixed and broad-leaved forests, as on the Russian Plain, there is no zone of semi-deserts and deserts.

Predominant types

Soils of the plain from north to south: tundra-gley, podzolic and sod-podzolic, they are replaced by chernozems and meadow-chernozems. Most soils, in contrast to the same types on the Russian Plain, have signs of gleying. In the south of the plain there are s alt licks and solod.

Tundra gley

Consist of a thin (3-5 cm) peat litter, after it comes a grayish or brown moist humus level no more than 20 cm thick, in which plant roots develop. Sometimes it may be missing. After the humus layer there is a loamy illuvial horizon 8-12 cm thick. The color is brown with bluish and rusty spots. The last level is represented by grayish or bluish gley loam. It often contains a significant amount of ice streaks.

Podzolic and sod-podzolic

The sod layer is thin, contains little nitrogen and phosphorus, but includes 4-7% humus. Unlike podzolic soil, sod-podzolic soil is more structured and has a higher moisture capacity. The formation of this type occurs in a relatively cold and humid climate.

West Siberian soddy podzol is formed on flat, even areas with close groundwater. The main soil-forming rocks are moraines and water-glacial deposits. Podzols are formed under dense coniferous mixed forests. Due to the low illumination, only shade-tolerant plants can grow on the ground. But the same feature and the forest floor keep moisture in and prevent it from evaporating.

Permafrost-taiga

Form in regions with permafrost. Due to insufficient washing with water, the removal of nutrients is difficult. The depth of the soil profile often does not exceed 1 m. The permafrost-taiga land does not accumulate much humus, the thickness of its layer does not exceed 10% of the total volume.

Chernozems

Chernaya Zemlya is located mainly in the south and southeast of the plain, located under the forest-steppes and steppes, on light loams.The chernozems of the south of the Omsk region and the north of Kazakhstan are distinguished by a clayey mechanical composition. Near the surface are carbonate masses. In the south of the forest-steppe, typical medium-sized chernozems extend, and in the north - weakly leached powerful chernozems. According to the content of humus and nutrients, these are the most fertile lands on the plain.

Meadow-chernozem

For the most part, they are located in the forest-steppe region, but can be found in the steppe zone and enter the deciduous forest zone. They are predominantly found in low-lying areas of the plain. Closer to the east, they are concentrated in the depressions of the Trans-Baikal intermountains, in the western part - in the Oka-Don lowland.

Due to geological and climatic differences from the chernozem zone, meadow-chernozem soils are formed with increased moisture, which is created by intense accumulation of precipitation and groundwater, approaching 3-7 m to the soil surface.

Steppe meadow-chernozem land gives life to rich herbs, under deciduous forests there is sparse grassy vegetation.

Vegetation

Plants of the West Siberian Plain are similar to plants growing on the neighboring Russian Plain, but there are also differences associated with a more severe climate and high humidity.

On tundra-gley soils, the diversity of vegetation is extremely poor - mosses, lichens, sedges, cotton grass, arctic bluegrass. In the south, low shrubs, willows, birches, alders are already found, on the slopes and along river valleys - buttercups, crowberry, polar poppy, lights.

In the forest-tundra, larch dominates, not spruce, as on the Russian Plain. Mixed forests here consist of pines and birches. Large areas of Western Siberia are occupied by floodplain and swamp vegetation.

In the forests of the taiga, which occupies the largest area of the plain, not only spruce and pine grow, but also cedar, fir, and hardwoods. The forest-steppe of Western Siberia is a combination of aspen-birch copses and steppe areas with meadow vegetation.

The steppes are 90% plowed. Feather grass, tulips, irises, thyme, fescue, and wormwood grow in untouched areas. Shrubs, wild rose, honeysuckle, spirea grow in humid places, and swampy meadows are located in floodplains.

The soils of the West Siberian Plain are diverse in structure and morphological characteristics. Soddy-podzolic, meadow-chernozem and chernozem soils are of economic value.