【Objective】Mountain landslides alter pre-existing surface landscapes through intense material transport and deposition, severely disrupting long-developed soil horizons and thereby affecting post-disaster ecological recovery. However, the specific mechanisms involved in this process of horizon disruption remain poorly explored. Thus, this study aimed to reveal the effects of landslide material transport and deposition on soil genesis, profile development, and nutrient recovery. 【Method】Two typical landslide sites in mountainous Southwest China, with recovery periods of 8 years and approximately 30 years, were selected along with their respective natural control sites. Soil profile morphology and genetic horizons were described in the field, and soil samples were collected from each genetic horizon to determine selected physicochemical properties and nutrient contents. 【Result】The results showed that landslide material transport and deposition increased soil thickness in deposition zones and led to increased gravel content, a coarser particle-size distribution, and reorganization of soil horizons. In the deposition zone of the large landslide after 8 years of recovery, a weakly developed incipient horizon occurred below the surface horizon, and the soil was identified as belonging to Cambosols, whereas the natural control belongs to Primosols. The contents of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium were all lower than those in the natural control, indicating that the early-stage deposition zone is still nutrient-poor. In the deposition zone of the small landslide after approximately 30 years of recovery, soil thickness was also greater than that of the natural control, and a buried horizon with relatively high contents of organic matter and several nutrients occurs in the middle part of the profile. Surface soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus recovered to 57.7%, 52.5%, and 35.7% of the corresponding values in the natural control, respectively, whereas available potassium reached 13.6% of the control value and remained a prominent limiting nutrient during recovery. 【Conclusion】Soil recovery in landslide deposition zones is jointly influenced by deposited material composition, soil horizon reorganization, surface organic matter accumulation, and limited nutrient availability. Natural recovery is a prolonged process and may have long-term implications for ecosystem restoration. Restoration measures should be implemented in stages according to the time since the landslide and the dominant limiting factors. These results provide a reference for soil recovery and ecological reconstruction of mountain landslide-affected sites.