中文摘要：

分布于中国北方的红土是古红土,关于古红土的土壤分类从20世纪80年代初期至今始终存在问题。尽管中国土壤系统分类已取得了举世瞩目的成绩,但仍然没有很好地解决北方古红土的分类地位问题。北方古红土分类混乱的原因有三：第一,北方古红土成因复杂,影响因素众多;第二,北方古红土基础研究薄弱,缺乏大量详细的研究资料做支撑;第三,关于北方古红土的分类,在分类指导思想上存在问题。剖析北方古红土的特性,借鉴国外研究思路和成果,认为中国土壤系统分类体系应当在适当的分类级别（土类一级）中增加古土壤土类,以反映在性质上与现代成土环境明显不一致的土壤;建立有关北方古红土定量化的诊断层和诊断特性,根据北方古红土本身的性状差异,将其在不同土纲中得到体现,而不能简单地把北方古红土笼统地归在新成土土纲中。

英文摘要：

The soils colored red in the north of China are paleo-latosol-like soils.The problems about their classification have existed from the 1980s.Although the classification system of the Chinese Soil Taxonomy is built and a series of significant achievements are taken by the Cooperative Research Group on Chinese Soil Taxonomy,there are also a lot of problems on the status of paleo-latosol-like soils in the Chinese Soil Taxonomy.There are three reasons of the confusion in the classification of paleo-latosol-like soils.Firstly,the causes of their formation are complex,with many influencing factors.Secondly,the basement of paleo-latosol-like soils investigation is weak,and elaborative information is lacked as the support.Thirdly,there are some oriented problems in the classification of paleo-latosol-like soils.Based on the analysis of the paleo-latosol-like soil characteristics and on the thoughts and achievements obtained in abroad,paleosol should be add on a suitable level in the Chinese Soil Taxonomy（as a soil group）,to distinguish soils which are evidently different from the one formed in the modern environment by characteristics.The quantified diagnostic horizons and diagnostic characteristics about them should be set up.And they should be put on the different orders according to their characteristics,rather than simply put into the Primosols.