Diagnostic indices of the ecological condition in the chestnut (grey-brown) soils from the Great Caucasus Lyangyabiz Range

The presented article summarizes the results of ecological–geographic and landscape–geomorphological field studies and analyzes climatology, geology, soil science and hydrology data, in addition to the main diagnostic indicators of chestnut soils, soil and climatic conditions and the assessment of the current geoecological condition. Soil–forming rocks and continental deposits here are mainly represented by Neogene–Quaternary limestones, sandstones, conglomerates and alluvial–proluvial and diluvial varieties. The increasing anthropogenic impact on nature creates a real danger of a serious disturbance of the ecological situation, partially expressed in the degradation of the soil cover, the transformation of the natural landscape, and the intensification of the dismemberment of the relief. In this regard, the solution of this problem, being one of the most important tasks of the economic and social policy of the world community, requires detailed ecological and geomorphological studies, detection of diagnostic indicators. As a result of the analysis of soils, quantitative and qualitative indicators are established: hygroscopic and natural moisture, carbon dioxide, alkalinity, hummus, carbonate content, absorbed chemical elements