祁连山东段的兴隆山和马衔山,地处黄土高原西北部半干旱地区温带荒漠草原地带.山地高差大,土壤垂直带谱较繁.南坡规律为灰钙土、黑垆土、黑钙土、高山草甸土;北坡规律是灰钙土、黑垆土、灰褐土、亚高山草甸土、高山草甸土.

Both the Xinglong Mountain and the Maxie Mountain are situated in the temperate desert steppe zone of semiarid region in the northwest part of the Loess Plateau. There is a distinct height difference in mountain areas, and the soil association of the vertical zonality is very complicated. South slope: the base zone, is sierozem, the upward are Heilu soil zone, chernozem zone, alpine meadow soil zone (i.e. frost-sod soil,the same below)succesively. North slope; the soil pedigree are sierozem zone, Heilu soil zone, grey cinnamon soil zone, subalpine meadow soil zone(i. e. cryosol,the same below) and alpine meadow soil zone from the lower to the upper.The abovementioned soil types can be generalized into three groups: Calcic aridisols-sierozems; ustic isohumic soil-Heilu soil,cherozem,grey cinnamon soil; Al-tocryic isohumic soil-subalpine meadow soil and alpine meadow soil.