The composition, content, and color-forming role of iron and manganese (hydr)oxide minerals in the profile of weakly differentiated soils on Permian red-colored deposits in the northern and southern taiga zones of European Russia (clay-illuvial burozem on leached heavy clays, podzolized raw-humus burozem on red-brown loamy sands, and calcareous raw-humus burozem on carbonate aleurites) were studied. It was found that the differences in the color of genetic horizons of finely textured calcareous and clay-illuvial burozems on red-colored deposits are determined by the content of hematite, the main iron-bearing pigment. The portion of hematite calculated from the spectral characteristics of soils averages 68 and 79% of total iron (hydr)oxides in calcareous and clay-illuvial burozems, respectively. The color of coarse-textured podzolized burozem does not depend on the content of hematite. The active development of iron oxidogenesis occurs presently in podzolized raw-humus burozem. It is manifested in the formation of ferrihydrite 2Fe2O3 · FeOOH · 4H2O and feroxyhite δ-FeOOH in the upper part of the profile.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1145-1158
Number of pages14
JournalEurasian Soil Science
Volume36
Issue number11
StatePublished - Nov 2003

    Scopus subject areas

  • Soil Science
  • Earth-Surface Processes

ID: 93936009