Figure 9: Examples of Mollisols (grassland soils) formed from loess. Both soils have mean annual precipitation of 450 mm. The Ustoll (a) has an ustic soil moisture regime and the Xeroll (b) has a ...

McFee, a Purdue University agronomist, visited Hungary in May 1996 to study soil formation. Hungarian soil scientist Erika Micheli drove him to the outskirts of the village of Aktar, where a surface ...

Soils that formed on Earth’s surface thousands of years ago and that are now deeply buried features of vanished landscapes have been found to be rich in carbon, adding a new dimension to our planet’s ...

In certain trees, soils can form along branches and can support varied plant and animal life. However, what conditions these ‘canopy soils’ form in, and what kind of biodiversity they support, has ...

Chinese scientists are testing whether cyanobacteria, the photosynthetic microorganisms that have shaped Earth’s soils for billions of years, can convert barren desert sand into ground capable of ...

Our soils are in trouble. Over the past century, we’ve abused them with ploughing, tilling and too much fertiliser. What many think of as “just dirt” is actually an incredibly complex mixture of ...

Shrinking glaciers expose new land in the Arctic, creating unique ecosystems. Researchers studied how microbes colonize these barren landscapes. The study reveals a crucial role for specific fungal ...

The dirt beneath our feet often goes unnoticed but it’s key to sustaining all life on Earth. A third of the world’s soil is moderately to highly degraded, threatening global food supplies, increasing ...

I recently got a question from a reader about where to get good soil and compost. Part of her request was for “organic” soil and compost. The Spokane region is home to a wide variety of soils ...