A type of dark, nutrient-rich soil found in temperate grasslands and prairies, particularly in Russia and Eastern Europe.
From Russian 'chernozem,' literally 'black soil' (cherno = black, zem = earth). The term was adopted by soil scientists and geographers in the 19th century.
Chernozem is some of the world's most fertile soil and is why Ukraine and Russia became breadbaskets of Europe—the deep black earth formed over thousands of years of prairie vegetation decay!
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