Soil Maps in Complex Regional Atlases (Russian Federation)

An analysis of the content, legends, and methods of designing basic soil maps in complex regional atlases published over the past 60 years has been performed. The atlases were grouped in accordance with time of their publication and potential users. The main attention was paid to the content and conceptual background of maps and their compliance with the rules and experience of traditional soil mapping in Russia, as well as to the requirements for soil maps: completeness of information with new knowledge included, unambiguity, readability. The content of the maps is assessed in the following respects: lists of soils, presence of human-modified soils, classification used, soil-cover composition and pattern, presentation of relief, and soil texture. The legends were evaluated from the standpoint of information on soils in them and presentation of the map concepts, namely, legend structure and number of units, and the order of soils in the legend. The quality of cartographic presentation was discussed as well. Soil maps in the atlases of the second half of the last century were compiled in accordance with the concept of “zonality,” and the soils basically corresponded to soil classification of the Soviet Union in 1977 with some additions. Among the maps in the atlases of the last period, there are maps compiled in the system of the new classification of soils of Russia. Soil maps in the atlases were compiled using standard cartographic techniques, and modern computer technologies for map design are relatively few; there is a certain deviation from the rules and standards of traditional soil cartography, which affects the information content and visibility of maps.