, , , , Soils of the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory: Diversity and Spatial Distribution // Nature of Inner Asia. - 2026. №2(35). . - С. 47-62.

Soils of the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory: Diversity and Spatial Distribution

The work was supported by the basic research projects of the Institute of General and Experimental Biology SB RAS No. 126021217181-4, Sochava Institute of Geography SB RAS No. 126020516558-5 and Filippov Buryat State Agricultural Academy — Topic 1, subtopic 03.

DOI: 10.18101/2542-0623-2026-2-47-62 UDK: 528.9, 502(571.53)

The article studies the soil diversity of the Central Ecological Zone of the Lake Baikal. It is established that the soil cover is represented by 58 soil types and subtypes. We have compiled an updated soil map of the studied region, distinguishing 24 soil contours with primary, associated, and occasional soil types. The dominant influence of altitudinal zonation on the spatial distribution is most clearly manifested in the highlands and middle mountains. It has been established that in the high-mountain part, poorly developed soils are predominantly distributed — lithozems and petrozems with associated soils, as well as gleyzems with peat-gleyzems and peat-lithozems. Areas with mountain-tundra soils occupy a significant territory of 11,608 km2, or 20.3 % of the total area. Soils of middle mountains cover more than half of the studied territory (62 % of the total area). The soil cover here is quite complex in composition with podburs, brown soils, podzols, soddy-podzols, and soddy- podburs predominating. The significant presence of podburs in the soil cover of the mid- mountain regions is due to the prevalence of calc-alkaline batholiths, which impede eluvial differentiation of soils, while the presence of brown soils is a result of the warming effect of Lake Baikal’s water masses. The predominant soils of the lowlands are gleypodzols and soddy-podzols with associated soddy-podzols and soddy-podzolic-gley soils: they occupy 4,475 km2, or 7.8 % of the total area. In the intermontane basins, gray metamorphic soils, soddy-podburs with soddy gray soils, and humus psammozems predominate. Overall, these soils account for only 595 km2. Various alluvial soil complexes are formed in the floodplains, estuaries, and river deltas: dark-humus, stratified alluvial, humus-gley, peat-gley, and others. Peat eutrophic soils and peat-gley soils have developed in the marsh areas, as well as humus- gley soils, peat-gley soils, and peat-cryozems. Lakeside areas are predominantly occupied by humus gley and peat eutrophic soils. Salt-affected soils are virtually absent. Overall, marsh and alluvial soils account for 3,242 km2 (5.7 % of the total soil area of the Central Economic Zone). Most of the region’s soils are cold, located on slopes of varying steepness, have a short profile, a light texture, and are gravelly to varying degrees. It has been found that, due to specific natural conditions (complex orographic structure, uneven precipitation distribution, the warming influence of Lake Baikal, parent material, etc.), unique soils are found, such as soddy gray soils and coarse-humus brown soils.

soils, spatial organization, spatial distribution, mapping, water protection zone of Lake Baikal.