Loess in Russia III: Andrei Dodonov

Remembering Andrei Dodonov 1940-2008; a distinguished loessperson.. a great Russian.

Loess in Russia II: Trofimov in Europe

Another sketch map- this one from V.T.Trofimov's 2001 book on Loess. This really is a simple map but its a very satisfactory map. That large patch of loess is called the USWR loess, its region J1 on the Jefferson classification of loess in the Soviet Union. This by far the largest and most important patch of loess in the region that was the Soviet Union. Here the great problems of hydrocollapse and subsidence were encountered- just there by Rostov-on-Don was the Atommash factory where one of the classic subsidence failures occurred.
The J1 loess is glacial loess; this really is glacial loess- the particles made by continental glaciers- and then distributed by the rivers Dnepr, Don & Volga; all nicely shown. In the region were the great loess research institutes at Kiev, Dneprpetrovk and Moscow.  In this region (just to the NW) the ideas about Russian loess were shaped- at Leningrad, by Dokuchaev and Berg.

Here is the Black Earth- the default chernozem- the last great hope of Mankind. The FAO has estimated that in Eurasia about half of the chernozem soils remain to be exploited; we shall have enough to eat for a few more years. Chernozem forms in loess; parent material is more important than climate; Berg believed the opposite- in some places the discussion is still going on..

Loess in Russia I

Loess in Russia; Loess in Russia proper; Loess in the Russian language; Loess within the confines of the Soviet Union. A major target for loess scholars- closing the gap between loess studies in Russian, and loess studies in western languages, in particular English. A useful reference:

Jefferson, I.F., Evstatiev, D., Karastenev, D., Mavlyanova, N.G., Smalley, I.J.  2003.  Engineering geology of loess and loess-like deposits: a commentary on the Russian literature.  Engineering Geology 68, 333-351. 

This is our starting point; its an EG paper but its of general loess interest.  The Abelev & Abelev 1968 map of loess in the Soviet Union was reprinted and used as a basis for regional labelling. The Abelev Abelev map is now old and it is nominally an EG map but it does give a clear view of the various regions; not a clear and detailed view- but then there was no Soviet map which gave a clear and detailed view of loess distribution.  We shall call them Jefferson J regions for convenience:

J1  The Western regions
J2  The Caucasus
J3  Middle Asia & southern Kazakhstan
J4  Western Siberia: Orsk-Omsk
J5  Tomsk-Barnaul
J6  Kansk-Krasnoyarsk
J7  Irkutsk