In 2015, we celebrate the 110 anniversary of Academician Innokentiy Petrovich Gerasimov - one among the most prominent scientists in the world of Earth Sciences. For 30 years from the moment he is no more with us, his contribution to soil science and soil geography became more discrete and continues to astonish people by the diversity of problems he touched on, by the perfect choice of most actual research spheres, by the in-depth comprehension of the essence of many phenomena. The milestones of his scientific activity are the following: perception of soil science as an interdisciplinary geo-biological and geographic science addressing to the origin, evolution and geography of soils, as well as to the mechanisms of pedogenesis, and all this is a core of the Dokuchaev School as Innokentiy Petrovich understood it. He was absolutely sure of the enormous and not fully disclosed potential of Dokuchaev soil science, which can efficiently synthesize the ideas of adjacent sciences concerning Earth and Life. The collection of articles in this issue represents the main lines in the scientific activity of I.P. Gerasimov in the field of soil science. This is soil genesis, cartography and geography, first of all, the huge work on compiling the State soil map of the country, scale 1 : 1 M; soils of arid lands and “distinctive” soils of Siberia, elementary soil-forming processes as driving forces of pedogenesis, soil classification, age and evolution of soils, fundamentals of radiocarbon dating of soil age. It is also worth to remind that Innokentiy Petrovich was permanently involved in soil science organization activities as Editor-in-Chief of the State soil map, President of the USSR Society of Soil Scientists, member of the Editorial Board of “Pochvovedenie” journal and Head of numerous scientific commissions

The State Soil Map (SSM) on a scale of 1 : 1 M is the greatest product of Russian small-scale soil cartography that accumulates data on soils of the Former Soviet Union for the entire period of the development of Dokuchaev's pedology. The work on the SSM was initiated by L.I. Prasolov in the 1930s; the official history of the SSM dates back to the governmental decree of 1946. For nearly 40 years, the works on the SSM were headed by I.P. Gerasimov. The huge amount of research was performed under the guidance of E.N. Ivanova. The compilation of the SSM gave strong impetus to the development of genetic pedology and geography of soils. It clearly demonstrated "blank spots" in our knowledge of soils, where special field studies were organized. The main stages of the development of the SSM are discussed, and the specific features of its program for the northern and Siberian territories are elucidated. More than a thousand specialists in the geography and cartography of soils contributed to this map. A special database on the SSM was developed. It contains detailed information on the published map sheets, their authors, cartographers, and editors; it also contains information about the authors of factual materials used during the compilation of the map. The major cartographic features of the design of the map are discussed. The modern state of the work on the SSM is briefly characterized, and the problems related to its publication and practical use are considered. As a positive example of the desirable future of the SSM, information on the current status and progress of the work on the "elder sister" of the SSM-the State Geological Map on the same scale (1 : 1 M)-is given. The main aim of this paper is to attract attention to the SSM as the most significant and, unfortunately, underestimated source of information on soil resources.

A brief history of the development of notions about the soil cover of the north of Central Siberia and their cartographic representation is outlined. The role of the Soil Map of the Russian Federation (SMRF) (1988) as the document synthesizing knowledge about Russian soils accumulated by the 1980s is shown. It is stressed that the work of I.P. Gerasimov about the genetic specificity of Siberian soils was of fundamental significance as a clearly stated call for discovering new regularities of the genesis and geography of soils in relation to the broadening factual base of soil studies. For the territory of Central Siberia, soil cover patterns displayed on the SMRF require certain corrections. Such corrections have been reflected on the corresponding sheets of the State Soil Map of Russia (SSMR). The most significant of them concern the representation of cryohydromorphic nongley soils (cryozems) as modal soils of the considered region. On the SMRF, these soils were represented by a single type of taiga high-humus nongley soils. On the SSMR, two different types of cryozems (thixotropic and homogeneous cryozems) are distinguished, and their further subdivision with respect to the character of organic horizons, manifestation of gleyic features, possible differentiation of surface horizons, and the presence of residual carbonates is suggested. A different picture of the soil cover is shown for the territories composed of hard calcareous rocks. The area of metamorphic pale soils developing from the carbonate-free substrates has been extended. The major regularities of the soil cover patterns as displayed on the SSMR are illustrated by a schematic small-scale map. Information about ecological niches of the soils displayed on the SSMR and SMRF is presented in a tabulated form.

As early, as in 1952, Academician I.P. Gerasimov published a paper entitled “Recent imprints of Late-Glacial phenomena near the coldest region of the world” in the journal “Annals of Academy of Sciences of the USSR, ser. Geography”; the paper was based on his observations during his visit to Central Yakutia. The paper was rather short, although it contained new ideas on paleogeographic events and pedogenesis in a very peculiar land, which is quite near to the coldest region of the Earth; it was very important for the further development of research concerning geography and soil cover there. The central Yakutian Plain was regarded by Innokentiy Petrovich as a very interesting paleogeographic relic in the geological history; owing to its geographic location and specific evolution, it preserved many remnants of fantastic landscapes of the past until nowadays, in other areas they were deleted by time. In this article, the role of the outstanding geographer and soil scientist Academician I.P. Gerasimov in the development of ideas on distinctive pedogenesis and soil types inherent to the region with severe climate and continuous permafrost is discussed basing on the results of research performed by Yakutian pedologists in 1949-2015. The pedogenetic and geographic conceptual background enabled the great scientist to perceive the paleogeographic essence and the major features of nature of this extensive region, as well as the attitude of people to the fragile northern environment. Basing on the knowledge of specific cryogenic landscapes he declared the necessity of an extremely careful attitude to the environment. Unfortunately, the advanced views of the outstanding naturalist did not receive sufficient attention, and this may be the reason of essential current transformations of the Central Yakutia nature.

Identification and systematic of elementary soil-forming processes (ESP) is an important contribution of I.P. Gerasimov to pedology. The ESP concept was derived of the ideas of S.S.Neustruyev, and is now implemented and advanced by the pupils and followers of I.P. Gerasimov; it was comprehensively discussed in the monograph of the same name published in 1992. In his paper of 1975, I.P. Gerasimov described 13 ESP sensu stricto , categorized them, and proposed to apply them for the diagnostics of most well-known soils of the USSR. For them, he proposed “process and profile codes” that were later modified into “profile formulas” and efficiently introduced into the Russian system of soil classification. An analysis of Russian and world soil classification systems in terms of the role of soil-forming processes in them has shown that they cannot be used as differentiating criteria (with few exceptions) although their knowledge contributes to better understanding of soils and soil properties. Nevertheless, soil-forming processes, similar to the elementary ones in their essence, perform an important function of controlling the choice, definitions and discriminative boundaries of diagnostic tools (horizons, properties and materials). In accordance with the traditions of the Dokuchaev School much attention is paid to soil-forming processes in the Russian system: processes serve as criteria to specify the genetic features identifying the subtypes.

The theory of elementary soil-forming processes (ESP) proposed by Academician I.P. Gerasimov is discussed both in its initial version, and in its advanced perception in the beginning of XXI century. The progress and success of this theory is highlighted. The implementation of this theory is shown with real examples in various natural environments: tundra, taiga, steppe, deserts and highlands. Disputable aspects in interpreting the elementary soil-forming processes are outlined; they concern the following processes: salinization, solodization, podzolization, lessivage and some other processes. Emphasis is put on the participation of abiotic endogenous agents in the development of elementary soil-forming processes, namely, the hydrothermal metamorphism, and periglacial lithogenesis. Examples are adduced for the ESP that were revealed by the author during his research in High Arctics, Siberia, Mongolia, Chile. Proposals for the further progress of the ESP theory are outlined.

New aspects in the comparison of macro- and micromorphological, chemical and physicochemical properties of soils studied in the eastern and western deserts of Central Asia, the Gobi and Turan deserts, respectively, are presented in the article. Common and specific properties of these deserts were revealed, and they were compared with the statements in the paper written by I.P. Gerasimov in 1954 entitled ―Similarity and difference in the nature of deserts‖. Among common features, the preservation of the traits of former elevated moistening should be mentioned, which seems to be mitigated or deleted by current active aeolian processes. I.P. Gerasimov explained this paradox by the existence of the crusty horizon on the surface of desert soils protecting them from destruction. The fabric of the crusty horizon in different deserts he attributed to their particular nature, primarily to climate. In the end of the 20th and beginning of the XXI centuries, the application of electron microscopy, tomography, micromorphology and microbiology in pedological research permitted to evaluate the origin and fabric of crusty subhorizon in desert soils and underlying platy one at a microlevel. The analysis of new data concerning the properties of desert soils in Central Asia basically confirmed the ideas of I.P. Gerasimov. It became possible to elucidate the natural phenomena affecting the properties of desert soils in Gobi and Turan deserts, as well as to relate the formation of the vesicular desert crust to various microbiological, physical and physicochemical processes. The micromorphological signs of a solonetzic, or cryptosolonetzic process responsible for fine particles mobilization in the surface horizons of boreal desert soils were revealed.

The ideas of I.P. Gerasimov on the radiocarbon soil age are outlined; the notions of absolute and relative soil age introduced by him are defined. Current trends in organic matter dating are discussed. The proposals on the “dating” soil fraction by the radiocarbon method are considered, as well as interpretations of the data obtained as related to new approaches in the studies of soil organic matter. The recent trends in search of new “dating” fractions are the following: dating of different pools of organic matter, dating of particle-size and densitometric fractions. The problems of radiocarbon dating application to soils and sediments in archaeological soil science are discussed. Basing on the results of dating performed for the organic matter of cultural layers of Early Medieval settlement it is shown that the organic matter of soils and pedosediments in archaeological objects may be a reliable source of information either for compiling chronological schemes, so for a comprehensive analysis of soil-forming processes operating in humanly modified materials. It is shown that the Radiocarbon Laboratory of the Institute of geography, RAS, is now applying progressive methodology, among which the preparation of samples - carbon graphitization to obtain data by means of accelerated mass-spectrometry is worth mentioning.