Loess soil distribution and properties in Mongolia

Loess and loess-like soil formations are distributed in 3 regions across Mongolia. The lower part of the Orkhon and Selenge river basin in North Mongolia is the main loess area and another two are located in east Mongolia, in the Onon and Ulz river basins and the Khalka Gol river area. Loess-like so...

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Main Authors: Ochirbat Batkhishig, Svetlana Timireva, Turmunkh Telmen, Yuri Kononov, Maamkhuu Zolzaya, Tserengunsen Purevdorj
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mongolian Academy of Sciences 2022-03-01
Series:Proceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mongoliajol.info/index.php/PMAS/article/view/2083
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author Ochirbat Batkhishig
Svetlana Timireva
Turmunkh Telmen
Yuri Kononov
Maamkhuu Zolzaya
Tserengunsen Purevdorj
author_facet Ochirbat Batkhishig
Svetlana Timireva
Turmunkh Telmen
Yuri Kononov
Maamkhuu Zolzaya
Tserengunsen Purevdorj
author_sort Ochirbat Batkhishig
collection DOAJ
description Loess and loess-like soil formations are distributed in 3 regions across Mongolia. The lower part of the Orkhon and Selenge river basin in North Mongolia is the main loess area and another two are located in east Mongolia, in the Onon and Ulz river basins and the Khalka Gol river area. Loess-like soil covers a total of 109,000 sq.km or 6.95 per cent of the territory of the country. Loess soil properties have been studied on the basis of 8 sections and 83 samples. Fine sand fraction is predominant in the loess granulometric composition and its mean value is 51.3 per cent, and silt content mean value is about 34.9 per cent. A typical loess is a non-stony silt or fine sand, but there are also gravel loess. The average stone gravel content in the loess sediments is 8.1 per cent, sandy loess doesn’t contain any stone, but coarse fragment is high (20.5 per cent) in gravel loess. There is higher sand content (57.0 per cent) in gravel loess as compared to sandy loess (47.4 per cent). Mongolian loess soil average calcium carbonate content is 2.9 per cent, and Organic Matter (0.93 per cent) is higher than Chinese loess (0.41 per cent). Using 14C isotope data analysis and sediment properties we have tried to define the loess stratigraphy. Lower base section of fine sand silty loess sediments or about 1-3 meter thick layers were mostly formed during the mid-Holocene (7.5-3.0 ka) period. Upper parts of silty loess or 1.0-0.7 meter top layers were accumulated in the late Holocene (3ka BP to present) period. Kastanozem topsoil humus horizon (15-30 cm) formation starts at 1.5-1.0 ka BP. Mid-Holocene period probably witnessed the most active loess accumulation with a warm and dry windy condition prevailing. Sandy loess with a thickness of 1-2 meters predominate in Mongolia, and in some places loess thickness reaches up to 20-30 meters.
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language English
publishDate 2022-03-01
publisher Mongolian Academy of Sciences
record_format Article
series Proceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences
spelling doaj-art-2f7d93fceaf5438d98d4af43589131e72025-08-20T03:47:06ZengMongolian Academy of SciencesProceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences2310-47162312-29942022-03-0111010.5564/pmas.v62i01.20832034Loess soil distribution and properties in MongoliaOchirbat Batkhishig0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6012-0395Svetlana Timireva1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2985-1127Turmunkh Telmen2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7704-4891Yuri Kononov3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1900-6501Maamkhuu Zolzaya4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5596-426XTserengunsen Purevdorj5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0451-1313Soil Science Division, Institute of Geography and Geoecologу, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaDepartment of Quaternary Paleogeography, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, RussiaSoil Science Division, Institute of Geography and Geoecologу, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaDepartment of Quaternary Paleogeography, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, RussiaSoil Science Division, Institute of Geography and Geoecologу, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaSoil Science Division, Institute of Geography and Geoecologу, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaLoess and loess-like soil formations are distributed in 3 regions across Mongolia. The lower part of the Orkhon and Selenge river basin in North Mongolia is the main loess area and another two are located in east Mongolia, in the Onon and Ulz river basins and the Khalka Gol river area. Loess-like soil covers a total of 109,000 sq.km or 6.95 per cent of the territory of the country. Loess soil properties have been studied on the basis of 8 sections and 83 samples. Fine sand fraction is predominant in the loess granulometric composition and its mean value is 51.3 per cent, and silt content mean value is about 34.9 per cent. A typical loess is a non-stony silt or fine sand, but there are also gravel loess. The average stone gravel content in the loess sediments is 8.1 per cent, sandy loess doesn’t contain any stone, but coarse fragment is high (20.5 per cent) in gravel loess. There is higher sand content (57.0 per cent) in gravel loess as compared to sandy loess (47.4 per cent). Mongolian loess soil average calcium carbonate content is 2.9 per cent, and Organic Matter (0.93 per cent) is higher than Chinese loess (0.41 per cent). Using 14C isotope data analysis and sediment properties we have tried to define the loess stratigraphy. Lower base section of fine sand silty loess sediments or about 1-3 meter thick layers were mostly formed during the mid-Holocene (7.5-3.0 ka) period. Upper parts of silty loess or 1.0-0.7 meter top layers were accumulated in the late Holocene (3ka BP to present) period. Kastanozem topsoil humus horizon (15-30 cm) formation starts at 1.5-1.0 ka BP. Mid-Holocene period probably witnessed the most active loess accumulation with a warm and dry windy condition prevailing. Sandy loess with a thickness of 1-2 meters predominate in Mongolia, and in some places loess thickness reaches up to 20-30 meters.https://www.mongoliajol.info/index.php/PMAS/article/view/2083loessloess propertiesmongoliasoilsilt
spellingShingle Ochirbat Batkhishig
Svetlana Timireva
Turmunkh Telmen
Yuri Kononov
Maamkhuu Zolzaya
Tserengunsen Purevdorj
Loess soil distribution and properties in Mongolia
Proceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences
loess
loess properties
mongolia
soil
silt
title Loess soil distribution and properties in Mongolia
title_full Loess soil distribution and properties in Mongolia
title_fullStr Loess soil distribution and properties in Mongolia
title_full_unstemmed Loess soil distribution and properties in Mongolia
title_short Loess soil distribution and properties in Mongolia
title_sort loess soil distribution and properties in mongolia
topic loess
loess properties
mongolia
soil
silt
url https://www.mongoliajol.info/index.php/PMAS/article/view/2083
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AT turmunkhtelmen loesssoildistributionandpropertiesinmongolia
AT yurikononov loesssoildistributionandpropertiesinmongolia
AT maamkhuuzolzaya loesssoildistributionandpropertiesinmongolia
AT tserengunsenpurevdorj loesssoildistributionandpropertiesinmongolia