Continuous permafrost is spread in most of the Asian North-East. A narrow stripe along the Sea of Okhotsk coast (about 60 km wide) is the only part of the territory characterized by discontinuous and sporadic permafrost. The permafrost there, having being continuous formely, is now degenerating with the thickness of 20 to 70 m. Frost/soil relations were under consideration in the study.

Cryoturbation absence in most sites even with shallow permafrost, along with increased annual precipitation as compared to the interior, results in Gley-Podzolic soils formation on loamy deposits (Pergilic or Typic Cryaquods in terms of Soil Taxonomy). These soils can never be found in similar landscape positions in the interior.

No significant effect of permafrost occuring at the depths of more than 2.5-3.0 m on soil formation has been discovered. Instead, the pronounced effect of long-preserved seasonal frost is evident, particularly on steep slopes where unique soil patterns are observed in a large scale caused by erosion and solifluction along the frozen surface.

A landscape mosaic formed by forest patches on mineral soil with deep or absent permafrost and treeless bogs on organic soils with shallow permafrost has been studied. The forest/bog mosaic did not reveal correlation with any of geomorphic or litological set once can produce the mosaic which is then supported by snow accumulation in forest sites and peat formation in boggy sites.

Dr. Galena G. Mazhitova
Senior Researcher
Department of Soil Science
Institute of Biology
Komi Scientific Center
Ural Branch
Russian Academy of Sciences
RUSSIA 167610 Syktyvkar,
ul.Communisticheskaya, 28
Phone: (8212) 425115
Fax: (8212) 420163
E-mail: biol@omkomi.intec.ru