Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Environmental conditions and soils of natural oases in the Alashan Gobi Desert, Mongolia

  • Genesis and Geography of Soils
  • Published:
Eurasian Soil Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Environmental conditions and soils of nine natural oases in the Alashan Gobi Desert of Mongolia are characterized. All these oases are allocated to the zones of tectonic faults, where the discharge of slightly saline groundwater takes place. The absolute heights are about 1500 m a.s.l. The oases are found on piedmont plains or in hilly areas occupied by true deserts with fragments of extremely arid deserts. With respect to geomorphological conditions, four types of oases can be distinguished: isolated (isle-type) oases, oases in large mesodepressions, oases formed in naturally ponded areas, and oases within terraced valleys. Each of these types is characterized by specific soil cover patterns controlled by the geomorphological features of the territory, the character of parent materials, and the groundwater depth. At the same time, some common soil properties are typical of all the oases. Hydromorphic soils—peat meadow-swampy soils, dark-colored nonsaline meadow soils, oasis solonchaks that developed in areas with shallow nonsaline groundwater, solonchaks with different degrees of hydromorphism that developed from mottled-colored salt-bearing Cretaceous and Paleogene deposits, and soddy alluvial (floodplain) soils—predominate in the central parts of the oases. Under conditions of deep groundwater, takyric and sandy desert soils are formed. The oases are encircled by desert ecosystems with gray-brown desert and extremely arid soils and with poorly developed stony soils that formed on the low residual mounts. In the period of the study (1991), irrigated farming was only developed within one of the studied oases. The main part of the land was used for pasturing. In some cases, the high grazing pressure led to degradation (desertification) of oasis ecosystems. A comparison of the oases studied in the Alashan Gobi with the Ekhiin-Gol oasis in the Transaltai Gobi attests to the similarity of their nature.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. I. A. Beresneva and E. I. Rachkovskaya, “Factors of Zonality in Southern Regions of the Mongolian People’s Republic,” Probl. Osvoen. Pustyn, No. 1, 19–29 (1978).

  2. E. A. Vostokova, A. V. Prishchepa, and G. S. Samoilova, “Landscapes in the Fault Zone of Alashan Gobi (Mongolia),” Probl. Osvoen. Pustyn, No. 1, 38–45 (1993).

  3. P. D. Gunin, Ecology of Desertification of Arid Ecosystems (VASKhNIL, Moscow, 1990) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  4. P. D. Gunin, Yu. G. Evstifeev, E. I. Rachkovskaya, and I. T. Fedorova, “Oases of the Great Gobi Reserve: Characterization, Significance, and Conservation Problems,” in Problems of Gene Pool Conservation and Ecosystem Management in Reserves of the Steppe and Desert Zones (Moscow, 1984), pp. 226–230 [in Russian].

  5. Yu. G. Evstifeev and E. I. Rachkovskaya, “Spatial Differentiation of Desert Ecosystems,” Probl. Osvoen. Pustyn, Nos. 3–4, 36–48 (1991).

  6. E. M. Lavrenko and A. A. Yunatov, “Natural Oases in Deserts of the Transaltai Gobi,” in Problems of Evolution, Biogeography, Genetics, and Selection (Moscow, 1960) [in Russian].

  7. E. I. Pankova, Genesis of Desert Soil Salinization (Moscow, 1992) [in Russian].

  8. E. I. Pankova, “Oasis Soils of the Southern Gobi, Mongolian People’s Republic,” Probl. Osvoen. Pustyn, No. 5, 62–73 (1980).

  9. E. I. Pankova, Zh. V. Kuz’mina, and S. E. Treshkin, “The Influence of Flooding on the Soil-Vegetation Cover of the South Gobi Oases,” Wat. Res. 21(3), 358–364 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  10. E. I. Pankova, Zh. Mandakhbayar, and D. L. Golovanov, “Changes in Soil Salinization in the Ekhiin-Gol Oasis (Mongolia) According to Monitoring Data of 1977 and 2001,” Pochvovedenie, No. 9, 1040–1056 (2004) [Eur. Soil Sci. 37 (9), 911–926 (2004)].

  11. E. I. Pankova, O. F. Neglyadyuk, and L. A. Vorob’eva, “Salinization of Hydromorphic Soils in Gobi Deserts, Mongolia,” Vest. Mosk. Univ., Ser. 17: Pochvoved., No. 1, 19–26 (1998).

  12. E. I. Pankova, S. E. Treshkin, and Zh. V. Kuz’mina, “Tugai Vegetation in Mongolian Oases and Outlook for Their Restoration,” Arid. Ekosist. 2(2–3) (1996).

  13. E. I. Pankova and I. T. Fedorova, The Ekhiin-Gol Oasis (Nauka, Moscow, 1980) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  14. Soil Cover and Soils of Mongolia (Nauka, Moscow, 1984) [in Russian].

  15. Transaltai Gobi Deserts (Nauka, Moscow, 1986) [in Russian].

  16. Mongolian Ecosystems (Nauka, Moscow, 1995) [in Russian].

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Pyzhevskii per. 7, Moscow, 119017, Russia

    E. I. Pankova

Authors
  1. E. I. Pankova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. I. Pankova.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © E.I. Pankova, 2008, published in Pochvovedenie, 2008, No. 8, pp. 937–947.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pankova, E.I. Environmental conditions and soils of natural oases in the Alashan Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Eurasian Soil Sc. 41, 827–836 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229308080048

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229308080048

Keywords

Search

Navigation