Mineralogical and chemical compositions of the paleosols of different ages buried under kurgans in the southern Ergeni region and their paleoclimatic interpretation

The chemical and mineralogical compositions and the contents and properties of the organic matter were studied in the paleosols of different ages buried under the kurgan group “Kalmykia” in the southern part of the Ergeni Upland. The investigated sequence of soils included profiles developed on the given territory about 5100, 4410, 4260, 4120, 3960, and 600 yrs ago. The background light chestnut soil was also examined. The results of our study showed that the earlier established climate changes in this area during the second half of the Holocene are reflected in the chemical and mineralogical compositions of the soils. These characteristics can be used as indicators of the paleoclimatic conditions together with some petrophysical characteristics, such as the magnetic susceptibility of the soil samples. The study of the mineralogical composition of the clay fraction of the paleosols attests to the transformation of the smectitic phase, accumulation of illites, and destruction of chlorites manifested at different degrees. It is argued that the geochemical indices—CIA, Al₂O₃/(CaO + MgO + K₂O + Na₂O), Rb/Sr, and Ba/Sr—are sensitive to climate changes and reflect the transformation of the mineral soil mass and the soil genesis.