On Russian concepts of soil
memory –
expansion of Dokuchaev's
pedological paradigm
Alexander Tsatskin
Zinman Institute of Archaeology
University of Haifa, Israel
This talk presents a review of book
Victor O. Targulian and
Sergei V. Goryachkin (eds)
Soil Memory: Soil as a Memory
of Biosphere-GeosphereAnthroposphere Interactions
2008
(in Russian, with Foreword by V.O.Targulian, S.V.Goryachkin and
Concluding Remarks by V.O.Targulian, S.V.Goryachkin, N.A.
Karavaeva in English)
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Soil Memory Book contents
I. General approaches to Soil memory – 11
authors
II. Mineral carriers of soil memory – 14
authors
III. Biological carriers of soil memory – 3
authors
IV. Anthropogenic soil memory – 10 authors
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Anthropic Albic
Luvisol in the
Russian plain
Model of soil evolution
since the late Glacial
through the Holocene
photo by Victor Targulian
Significance of Evolutionary Pedology
Dan Richter and Dan Yaalon (2012)
“The Changing Model of Soil” Revisited
Henry Lin (2011) Three Principles of Soil
Change and Pedogenesis in Time and Space
Paleopedology commission of the IUSS and
SSS Division of the EGU both invest efforts to
promote studies on soil polygenesis, surface soils
records and archives
5
Model of soil formation
Complex soil bioticabiotic system
Input of energy &
matter
Outcomes of
composition, structure
& information
6
Soil functioning and self-organization
7
profiles
Reversible
or steady
state (?)
Soil reaching a steady state
horizons
aggregates
Increasing structure & system
complexity with time
TIME
8
Residual solid phase micro-results SMR
Fluctuating processes of soil functioning –
formation of SMR
Accumulation of SMR within soil system
Specific pedogenic processes SPP
Records of solid phase carriers
9
After Lin (2011), note random processes
10
Types of soil development-noadditional deposition
Transgressive
Regressive
Climate &
biota impact
Climate &
biota impact
time
A
A
A
A
A
B
B1
B1
B2
B
B2
solum
thickening
A
solum
reducing
11
Soil memory
Capability of a soil system to
store and record in its stable
properties the information about
conditions (factors) and processes
of formation and development,
evolution and degradation
12
Sedimentary system: book-like
record
4 green
3 brown
sedimentation
2 yellow
1 green
time
13
Soil system: palimpsest record
Albic Luvisol: texture-contrast soil
Nearly zero sedimentation
of southern taiga
C
A
A
AC
Bm
C
Time zero
BC
C
O
A
E
Bt
C
14
Conclusions
Soil Memory concept develops
Dokuchaev’s paradigm
Via
(a) Theoretical principles of soil
memory as ability of soils to store
variable over time environment forcing
(b) New Scientific Evidence on
Russian soil records
- Holocene soil records related to European
vegetation periods
- Radiocarbon dating of Holocene soils;
- Clay minerals, Fe minerals and carbonate nodules
as earlier records
- Waterlogged soils in a historic perspective
- Phytoliths, soil organic matter and microbiota
- Anthropic changes in agricultural soils
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Soil memory concept – The RUSSIAN
CONCEPT - challenges earlier idea
that soil is a mirror of landscape;
Focus is put on duality of soil as
“super” complex biotic-abiotic system
whose formation includes both selforganization (soil functions) and
evolution (a palimpsest record)
17
Are Soil memory - Soil
polygenesis - Soil archives – Soil
records
all synonyms?
YES – and NO
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What’s a really important message?
That soils may be records of earlier land
history HAS TO BE demonstrated in every
specific case –
Soil Memory IS LIKELY AN INHERENT
PROPERTY of soil
Anyway, it is a useful idea to be kept in
mind even when dealing with hazardous
substances in anthropic soils. Use it – you
may be surprised for good… Thanks!
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