This report was prepared by the Secretary, Leigh Sullivan lsulliva@scu.edu.au.

Report on the 10th IWMSM Meeting, Moscow, Russia. 7th - 15th July 1996.

1. General Report
2. Plenary Papers
3. Oral and Poster Sessions
4. Field Trips
5. Concluding Remarks
6. Return to 1997 Newsletter

The 10th International Working Meeting on Soil Micromorphology was held at the Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia from the 8th to 13, July 1996.

The Working meeting was attended by 111 participants from 25 countries. It was conducted under the auspices of:-

• the International Society of Soil Science,
• the Russian Soil Science Society,
• Moscow State University -Faculty of Soil Science,
• Russian Academy of Science - Institute of Soil Science and Photosynthesis,
• Institute of Geography,
• the Dokuchaev Soil Institute.

The sponsors of the conference were the Soil Science Society of America and the International Scientific Foundation.

The Conference opened with a welcoming address by Professor S. A. Shoba

Over all there were 63 oral and 112 posters presentations. (Russia), Chairman of the National Organising Committee.

Plenary papers were delivered by:-

• Prof. S. A. Shoba (Russia),
• Prof. L. P. Wilding (USA),
• Prof. G. Stoops (Belgium),
• Dr. C. Chartres (Australia),
• Dr. K. Tovey (United Kingdom),
• Dr.T.V. Tursina (Russia),
• Dr. N. Federoff (France),
• Dr. K. Oleshko (Mexico),
• Dr. M-A.Courty (France),
• Dr S. Gubin (Russia).

The themes of the oral sessions on the days following the initial plenary session were:

1. Micromorphology of genetic types of soils: humid soils
2. Micromorphology of genetic types of soils: arid soils
3. Micromorphology of genetic types of soils: tropical soils
4. Micromorphology for paleopedology and archeology
5. Micromorphology of acid sulphate soils
6. Mechanisms of micromorphology elements formation
7. Methods

Poster sessions with the above themes followed the oral sessions.

The following field tours took place:-

• A Pre-Conference Field Tour from 3 - 7 July , coordinated by Dr. N. Matinian and Prof. M. Gerasimova, started from St Petersburg and examining inter alia podzols on the Karelian Isthmus, an anthrosol in the Peterhof Garden, podzoluvisols in the Lissino forest and various Luvisols on the Valday upland. The Pre-Conference Tour was very well organised presenting participants with interesting soil exposures and clear presentations of the challenges that each soil poses in terms of understanding pedogenesis and appropriate soil classification. The field tour also offered participants the opportunity to experience some of the richness of Russian culture and the beauty of the Russian landscape.
• The mid-conference tour on July 11 went to the north of Moscow and coordinated by Dr. O. Tursina and Dr. E. Skvortsova, was of particular interest given its focus on podzoluvisols and provoked much illuminating discussion around the pits.
• The Southern Post-Conference Tour from 14 - 16 July, co-ordinated by Dr. S. Gubin and Prof. M Gerasimova, started in Pushino-on Oka with the objective of acquainting participants with the physiographic regions and soils of the Middle Russian Upland. Soil types examined included grey forest soils and a forest-steppe chernozem.

A distinctive feature of all of the field tours was the attendance by members of Working Group RB (World Reference Base) and the consequent pit-side discussions on aspects of soil classification using WRB.

The success of this conference is a credit to the National Organising Committee chaired by Prof. S. A. Shoba and the members of the Advisory Panel.

This report was prepared by the Secretary, Leigh Sullivan lsulliva@scu.edu.au.

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