Technogenic surface bodies on dumps of coal quarries and ore mine tailings in Kemerovo oblast: essay on classification

Classification of surface bodies on technogenic parent materials is rather disputable. On one hand, the technogenic surface bodies (TSB) are predecessors of soils, on the other hand - they are made by humans, hence, differ of the natural soils by their origin. In the Russian soil classification system (versions of 2004 and 2008), the TSBs are subdivided by the kinds of human activities responsible for their formation. Moreover, the taxonomy of TSBs is a separate system beyond the soil classification, and the names of its objects are artificial and deliberately cumbersome in order to emphasize their “non-soil” essence. This system was invented by Valentin Tonkonogov, and it comprises two hierarchical levels, namely, groups and subgroups. In accordance with this system, an attempt was made to classify TSBs on coal dumps and iron ore mine tailings located in two landscape zones: forest-steppe and aspen-fir taiga in Kemerovo oblast. A third taxonomic level - “triba” - is proposed, with chemical and morphological properties of technogenic materials as differentiating criteria.