ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF THE GENETIC APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF SOILS

The fundamental methodological and philosophical aspects of the genetic approach to the study of soil formation, the genesis of the composition, structure, state and properties, as well as the role of the spatial position of soils in the array and the role of anthropogenic impacts on soil massifs, including the formation of improved and degraded soils, are considered. In the genetic approach to the study of soils, which became the methodological basis of soil science, is that the composition, structure, condition and properties of soils are considered as the result of their genesis and subsequent postgenetic transformations at the stage of diagenesis, catagenesis, metamorphism and hypergenesis. The distinction of concepts of “soil genesis”, “genesis of soil composition”, “genesis of soil structure”, “genesis of soil condition” and “genesis of soil properties” is shown. When characterizing these concepts, it is necessary to take into account the syngenetic, epi-syngenetic, syn-epigenetic and epigenetic features of soils. In accordance with this, the composition, structure, condition, and properties of soils may be of four classes according to their origin: syngenetic, epi-syngenetic, syn-epigenetic, or epigenetic. The genetic approach plays a particularly important role in the study of anthropogenically-formed and man-made altered soils, as well as in the construction of new genetic classifications of natural and man-made soils. The genetic approach to the study of soils follows from the Priklonsky-SergeevLomtadze law: the composition, structure, condition and properties of soils are determined by their genesis, the nature of postgenetic processes and the modern spatial (coordinate) position. This fundamental approach should underlie the development of new general classifications of soils, which is especially important now, when work is underway to prepare the new GOST 25100 “Soils. General classification”.