Paleosol Finds in Devonian Sediments on the Spitsbergen Archipelago

The Devonian outcrops in western Spitsbergen (Dickson Land) were studied in detail during the expedition in the Pyramiden Mine area to identify and to sample paleosols. The studies of pre-Quaternary paleosols on Spitsbergen were initiated due to the completeness of the Devonian geological section and the abundance of paleobotanical finds. The Devonian paleosols and pedocomplexes were discovered in the valleys of the Muninelva, Torelva, and Hugindalen rivers, and paleosol samples were collected over a wide geological interval (D1–D3). The paleosols are characterized by a complete profile and the preservation of plant imprints and, in some cases, plant tissues. The studied objects represent paleosols of various genesis. The obtained research results indicate that the continental formation is widely represented in the Devonian sediments of the archipelago including paleosols archives. The analytical results allow us to reconstruct the terrestrial ecosystems and climate on Spitsbergen in the Devonian. In the future, when accumulating information, it will be possible to compare it with the data on paleosols accumulated over the last decade for the Central Devonian field (European part of the Russian Federation) and to expand our conceptions about the Earth’s soil cover and climatic zoning of the past.