What created the rich soil in russia’s steppes region?

The steppes are plant formations located on plains and basically made up of grasses, forming a large plant mat. They have no trees. They usually occur in the middle range between the forest and the desert and are found in Europe and Asia.

In the steppes the climate is generally cold and dry, as there are no oceans nearby and rainfall is scarce, but during the summer the climate is hot. There are two distinctly different seasons: a freezing season during winter, when vegetation remains dormant, and a growing season (which lasts 100 to 175 days), when there is no freezing and vegetation can develop.

In summer occasional fires may occur. These fires are important in the conservation of open fields, as they eliminate the excess amount of organic matter and allow the renewal of vegetation. Grasses have buds close to or below the surface, so when they are burned or eaten by herbivores, new buds happen immediately.

The soils of temperate fields are fertile due to the decomposition of dead grasses during freezing, so they are ideal for agricultural activities, which pose a major threat to these environments. Like agricultural crops, the misuse of burning quickly impoverishes the soil, turning it into desert. In addition, the introduction of cattle for livestock purposes leads to the replacement of the original fauna.