by Sergei NAUGOLNYKH, Dr. Sc. (Geol. & Mineral.), RAS Geological Institute About 60 mln years, such is supposed duration of one of the six, the fourth geological period of the Palaeozoic, namely, Devonian (419-358 mln years ago). That was the time marked by literally explosive flourishing of living organisms on the Earth. The life colonized more and more ecological niches at that time. The different terrestrial higher plants, the primofilices ("prae-ferns"), progymnosperms, including arborescent forms, first terrestrial vertebrates, in the seas--armored fishes or placoderms, and crossopterygians or lobe-finned fishes, all of them were progressing to their evolutionary rise. Fossil evidences proved existence of these creatures in the Devonian. The fossils, witnesses of the past preserved up to the present days, and now are allowing us to reconstruct the general picture of processes, which took place in the Devonian biosphere. For proper study of these fossilized evidences, the scientists use different approaches of many disciplines, including palaeopedology, a relatively new scientific trend, which studies ancient soils of the geological past, their history and evolution. FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE At the very beginning, I would like to mention one remarkable book, which was written by the famous German palaeobotanist Hans-Joachim Schweitzer. The title of this book is very eloquent: Plants Colonize the Land (Pflanzen erobern das Land). Any reader will look through the book with sincere wonder and excitement, traveling through the miracles of the fascinating ancient plant world, hidden inside the pages devoted to the landscape reconstructions of the Devonian period. Some pictures depict small bushes of Zosterophyllum and Sawdonia, no taller than several dozen centimeters, and стр. 12 The paleosoil profile FPS-1, northern part of the Andoma section, lower part of the Klimovskaya Formation. 1--vertical section of the profile; one can ... Читать далее