GENETIC AND GEOGRAPHICAL REGULARITIES OF SOIL STRUCTURAL-MINERALOGICAL ASSOCIATIONS AND OF THEIR ABSORPTION CAPACITY

The correlations between mineral and chemical compositions, humus cont ent and composition, and a number of soil properties important for det ermining general absorption capacity and its structure are considered. A methodology for evaluating potential soil absorption and for determ ining the parameters of its structure is developed. Both the magnitude and the structure of soil absorption are found to depend primarily on parent rocks. The geographical distribution of soil absorption capaci ty is controlled by the ratios between the newly formed and inherited soil components. The influence of bioclimatic (zonal) factors is revea led. Genetic and geographical regularities of total soil absorption ca pacity can be used for monitoring and forecasting soil pollution, incl uding that by radionuclides and heavy metals.