Multi-element dataset of soil profiles across climatic zones in China’s mountains

Abstract

Datasets of soil multi-element concentrations are essential for advancing our understanding of ecological functioning and responses to global change in mountain regions. However, the paucity of such datasets represents a fundamental impediment to accurately assess and predict biogeochemical processes in these sensitive ecosystems. Here, we present a comprehensive geochemical dataset comprising more than 1300 soil samples collected from 166 sites across 30 mountain regions in China, spanning five major climatic zones and representative vegetation types. Soil samples were systematically collected from three standardized horizons (organic, surface mineral, and parent material), and analyzed for the concentrations of 24 elements, including macronutrients (e.g., phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium), micronutrients (e.g., iron, molybdenum, manganese, copper), and trace metals (e.g., cadmium, chromium, lead, antimony). To support integrated Earth system analyses, the dataset is accompanied by key site-specific environmental variables, including climate parameters (temperature, precipitation, aridity index), normalized difference vegetation index, soil physicochemical properties (pH, moisture, bulk density), soil type, parent rock type, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, and chemical index of alteration. The dataset reveals significant vertical stratification in element distributions, with organic horizon enriched in biogenic elements, and deeper horizons dominated by lithogenic components. Spatial patterns along latitudinal, longitudinal, and altitudinal gradients underscore the influence of climate and geology on soil chemistry. This open-access dataset provides a valuable resource for parameterizing and validating biogeochemical models, assessing soil quality in mountain regions, and improving predictions of ecosystem responses to global change. The dataset can be accessed via https://doi.org/10.11888/Terre.tpdc.302620 (Wu et al., 2025b).