Cyclic formation of soil profiles in mountainous regions of Mongolia

Our study demonstrates that a mountainous landscape (using the example of t he Khangaiskoe Plateau in Mongolia) is a good model for testing the methodo logy of studying soil formation history. The possibility of distinguishing unidirectional (controlled mainly by bioclimatic factors) and cyclic (contr olled mainly by morpholithogenetic factors, i.e., by relief and parent rock s) pedogenetic trends is realized. The history of the cyclic soil formation related to the neotectonic development of the territory is reconstructed. A sequence of morpholithopedogenetic cycles results in the formation of cyc lically organized soil profiles consisting of compositions of elementary so il units (ESUs).