On the laws of the genesis and geography of soils

The development of the theoretical basis of pedology from Dokuchaev to the present is analyzed. A system of the laws of pedology is advanced. This system is based on the Dokuchaev paradigm that considers soil an independent natural-historical body, the function of soil-forming factors. This background definition serves as the main axiom of pedology. The laws of pedology are rooted in this axiom. The most general laws-the laws of interaction and development (evolution)-can be specified in a system of particular laws. The main ones describe the ability of soils to reflect in their properties the action of soil-forming factors (the laws of soil reflectivity) and the sensitivity of soils to changes in soil-forming factors (the laws of soil sensitivity). The main laws of soil geography are the laws describing the origin of mosaic-striated soil cover patterns (arranged into striae perpendicular to the trend of changes in the driving factor) and the facial-zonal-provincial differentiation of the soil cover.