CHAPTER XXII. 
The Black Earth or Tchornozem of Central and Southern Russia shown to he a Sub- 
aqueous Formation. — Modern Terrestrial Changes. — Peculiar state of the surface of 
Russia during the Spring Debacles. — Action on Ice of Rivers and Lakes in throwing 
up Ridges of Stone. — Great Annual Denudation of the Subsoil. — Enormous Deltas 
and new-formed Lands. — Changes operated by Man, compared with Geological 
Phenomena. — Resume' of the chief Objects attained in this Work, and Conclusion. 
NOTWITHSTANDING the long descriptions already given of the subaqueous 
accumulations which encumber the surface of Russia in Europe, we have still to 
speak of a widely-spread superficial deposit, which must be referred to a similar 
origin. This is the “ Tchornozem” or black earth, which, for the extent of its uni- 
formity in colour and composition, is without parallel in Europe. Having had the 
opportunity of tracing the relations of this peculiar earth over wider tracts than 
most modern observers, we have thrown together a few remarks which may serve 
to explain the range and extent of the deposit, its relations to the physical features 
of the land, its chemical composition, and the theory of its origin. 
The “ tchornozem” has its northernmost limit defined by a waving line, which, 
passing from near Kief and Tchernigof, a little to the south of Lichvin, appears in 
the 54° of north latitude in that tract, then advances in its course eastward to the 
57°, and occupies the left bank of the Volga west of Tcheboksar, between Nijny 
Novogorod and Kazan. In approaching the Ural chain, we saw no black earth to 
the north of Kazan, but it was plentiful on the Kama and around Ufa. Again, on 
the Asiatic or Siberian side of the Ural mountains, we travelled through one large 
mass of it near Kamensk, south of the Issetz river in latitude 56° north, and, as 
before observed, through another, between Miask and Troitsk. Of its limits in 
the great Siberian plains we cannot speak from personal observation, but we were 
given to understand, that it spreads over considerable spaces in the eastern, 
4 c 
