THE CURRENT STATE OF SOILS AND ANTHROPOGENIC TRANSFORMATION OF SOIL COVER OF ROLLING STEEPLY-SLOPING FOOTHILLS OF THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS
Based on the analysis of soil mass data on rolling steeply-sloping foothills of the Altai Mountains, the soil structure within the classifications of 1977 and 2004 has been studied and soil reference standards have been developed; these standards may be used to find real representatives of these soil subtypes and types. The obtained criteria of different taxons of the chernozem and gray forest soils are proposed for monitoring as typical standards of soil anthropogenic changes and for the solution of practical problems of land use. According to the substantive - genetic soil classification, chernozem-like and agrochernozem-like soil types have been identified; these types are formed on heavily loamy parent rocks under the conditions of prolonged freezing and surface gleyzation of the lower part of the humus horizon. Their dissimilarity from meadow chernozem-like soils or hydro-metamorphic soils is that ground water is not involved in their formation. The main mechanism of anthropogenic transformation of the soil cover of the study area includes denudation in the trans-eluvial landscapes and hydro-accumulation of fine earth and humus substances in the soils of trans-accumulative landscapes. These processes contribute to the formation of various anthropogenic soils. The clay-illuvial agrozems of the piedmont plains differ from the textural-carbonate agrozems of the steppe and forest-steppe zones of the Altai Region by their greater humus content and humus horizon thickness. Stratozems and dark-humus agro-stratozems which are characterized by a thick stratified horizon (120 cm) are quite widespread. The humus content within the humus horizon does not change to a depth of 110-120 cm and makes 9.6-9.8%. Dark gray forest soils under natural biocenotic conditions are exposed to anthropogenic impact from the adjacent agrogenic landscapes. The formation of stratified dark gray soils is confirmed by increasing thickness and humus content of the upper humus horizons.