ABSTRACT
The theory of the Soil Cover Patterns (SCPs) proposed by V.M. Fridland makes it possible to reflect the spatial heterogeneity of soils at different hierarchical levels. Maps of the SCPs include the typified soil-geographical units of different organization levels: elementary soil bodies—micropatterns (soil combinations or elementary soil patterns)—mesopatterns. They form the basis for various applied maps: agroecological, meliorative, forestry, etc. Opportunities of DSM for SCP mapping are shown by the example of combinations of different chernozems on the Central Russian Upland. Regional features of SCPs are obtained by discriminant analysis of soil classes in terrain attributes of 20 × 20 m resolution. The results confirm the high complexity of the forest-steppe soil cover and have been validated by detailed soil surveys at key plots. This fact serves as the basis for the extension of the list of DSM objects up to the series: soil properties—soil classes—soil combinations.
