Sedimentological and mineralogical characteristics of red soil in South Pirin Mountains (Southwest Bulgaria)

Authors: ROSSITZA KENDEROVA, AHINORA BALTAKOVA, MARLENA YANEVA

Abstract: The northernmost derivation of the Mediterranean climatic influence and the wide distribution of carbonate rocks are factors that could explain red soils distribution in the lands of Southern Bulgaria. However, due to the mainly mountainous landscape, red soils can be found only on certain spots in Bulgaria. One of the most typical examples of red soil can be found in the lands of Nova Lovcha Village in Bulgaria, but this area was not studied in detail due to its border position. In this study, the catena principle was used to estimate the parental material and slope drainage relationships as factors in soil formation. Samples from different parts of the slope were analyzed for grain size, parent rock and soil mineralogy, pH, and humus content. The red soils of Nova Lovcha showed both local rocks origin in the deeper parts of the soil profiles and allochthone silicate elements in the upper horizons. The most relevant explanation for this mineralogical difference could be a transfer from another nearby area; Neogene alluvial deposits or from weathered older rocks, cropping out in the vicinity of the area. Our results show a relation between this particular landscape and the Greek Thracian allochthonous red soils. This confirms the variety of factors for red soil formation and explains the penetration of Mediterranean influence in the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula.

Keywords: Mediterranean red soils, grain size, parent rocks mineralogy, X-ray powder diffraction, Nevrokopean Neogene basin, South Pirin

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