Історія / Історія науки і техніки

Mudruk O.S. 

State Scientific Agricultural Library Ukrainian Academy Agrarian Sciences

Kyiv, Ukraine

Hypotheses of soil provenance: historical aspect

Big cohort of outstanding scientists of that time worked in the period of scientific understanding getting experimental facts about the hypotheses of soil formation. The hypotheses by Guldenshtendt (1787), Pallas (1799), German (1836-1837), Eversman (1840), Guo (1842), Murchison, (1842 and 1845), V.M. Chernyaeva (1845), Eichvald (1850), Petsgoldt (1851), Borusyak (1852), Vangengame-von-Kvalen (1853), Pachta (1856), Ludvig (1862), G.Romanovskiy (1868), Ruprecht (1866), M.Bogdanov (1871), Karpinskiy (1873) gave much attention. They could be united into three main groups. The first group of the authors assumed water origin of Russian chernozem, the second – marsh, the third - vegetate-ground.-

Palllas is considered to be the father of the thought of chernozem's marine origin. In 1799 he said that soils had been existed at “special” ground. And salt was educed from it into the air. That's why surrounding waters had salt taste. This plain ground (containing silt, salt soil) might be covered with rich and thick grass but really it was marine silt.

His follower was no less famous Russian researcher R. Myrchison. He said that it was naturally to assume that bottom (glacial) might be covered with thin silt without the influence of destroying powers during movement stopping of northern boulders to the south. It was often appeared on the water lap and further from the fast currents.

Petsgoldt seconded the idea of marine origin of Russian chernozem in 1851. He thought this soil was as the formation of the newest geological period. These black earths had appeared from the marine silt that had lifted after waters of the Black and the Caspian seas' digression.

Academician Eichvald analysed all existent hypotheses and recognized them false. The scientist underlined the newest provenance of chernozem from the marshes and tundra that were populated with microscopic plants and animals. He said about marsh hypothesis: there were a number of impassable marshes in the south of Russia. Then there were many steppes with black earth that had appeared from destruction of these freshwater lakes and surrounding forests.

Professor Borusyak produced the conception of black earth's formation. Black silt is the nearest to steppe chernozem between modern formations. It precipitates in marshes and lakes. He confirmed that our chernozem appeared from freshwater lakes and marshes. It had happened because in ancient times there were the richest water spread, the boundless vegetation, favourable climate and black silt's formation and pilling up were much more better than now.

In 1853 Vangengame-von-Kvalen gave another interpretation of marsh hypothesis. If world catastrophe captured huge masses of silt, peat and other rotten vegetate matters, wiped up thiner maybe and mixes with minerals and carried all these to the south, no doubt that we should get real chernozem on the surface.

Rudolf Ludvig became follow of Eichvald and Borusyak's ideas in 1862. He pointed that if peat-bed stopped in the development, they had turned into dry dust matter that atmosphere slowly destroyed. Thus, rich humus soils (getting from the peat) became very rich and useful to agricultural plants. These soils were anywhere in Russia where high marshes were. They became dry after cutting down the forests and had to be known as black earth.

There was general folk thought about chernozem's formation. It appeared from rotting plants (steppe) by the influence of atmosphere and humus mixing with light loamy soil (by the Borusyak words). It remained and Murchison and in various parts of chernozem Russia.

This approach was seconded by the scientist German in 1836. Light soil surface could nourish plants and usually it is covered by them. Special matter – humus or chernozem – was formated from eruption of root, falling leaves with dry plants' remains, rotting. Soils get dark-brown or black colour after this rotting.

Eversman developed the chernozem's hypothesis of ground origin. Last geognostic formation of sea in the same territory was saline marl silt. It is the unique steppe's feature for today. This silt is exfoliation upper layer on the not bearing squares and chernozem – on bearing soils.

In 1842 famous geologist Guo said that humus (in chernozem) was the result of rotting with free air access, died steppe animals, plants that were changed during long time at the same place.

Dokuchaev had pointed the main peculiarities of black earth. In normal conditions our chernozem was presented anywhere and constantly as the tightest genetic connection with that rocks where it had existed concerning the chemical and physical structures; as primary (chiefly minerals) and secondary chemical elements. They were divided by some laws. No one could not be explained by any hypotheses.

Guldenshtendt, Eversman, Stukenberg and especially Ruprecht thought that our chernozem had appeared only thanked to the typical steppe vegetation. Forests didn't take any part in soil formation (Ruprecht). Woods played an important role in soil formation as steppe vegetation (N.M. Bogdanov, earlier – Pallas and Erenberg). It is interesting that only Guo pointed on the animals' role in chernozem's formation. Plants played the main role in the soil formation (by Ruprecht). Agapitov thought that rock and wood were rather important that others. Then, other scientists (German) said that humus in chernozem had appeared by two ways: from above and root rotting, others (Ruprecht) – only by the first one. Eichvald, Borusyak, Ort and unknown critic Petsgoldt said about climate conditions for the plants growth and rotting. First three scientists supposed that there were another humidity and better climate conditions, the third researcher said about higher temperature and absence superfluous humidity in southern Russia.