Microfabrics of desert soils of Mongolia

The mineralogical composition of coarse fractions and the specificity of micro- and submicromorphology in the zonal sequence of desert soils of Mongolia (pale brown, gray brown, and extremely arid soils) were studied. A comparative analysis of analytical characteristics and macro- and micromorphological features of these soils made it possible to specify diagnostic criteria of elementary pedogenetic processes in the automorphic desert soils developed from the Quaternary slightly saline alluvial fan deposits. The microfabric of the soil mass near the pores in the crust horizons of desert soils and the microfabric of recent and relict calcite and calcareous-clay coatings on the surface of pebbles were described.