The study of hard rock conversion into fine earths and clayey materials in the pedosphere is
important in understanding the relative proportions of recent soil features to features that were inherited
from ancient epochs. Cold environments are widely thought to be areas of physical weathering, but the
coexistence of physical and chemical processes have also been shown. To further examine mafic rock
(dolerite) weathering in soil environments and the conversion into clayey materials, Entic Podzols formed
in the cold continental climate were studied. The key study was located in the central part of the flood
basalt complex, or traps (traprocks), of the Central Siberian Plateau (Russia). The qualitative mineralogy
was studied using X-ray diffraction and the quantitative mineral composition was determined using X-ray
diffraction and subsequent Rietveld analysis. The micromorphological characteristics of the soils were
studied in thin sections. Dolerite fragments and fine earths were sampled from soil profiles unde