Soil formation, or pedogenesis, is the set of physical, chemical, and biological processes that transform unconsolidated parent material into structured soil profiles. It is governed by five classic soil-forming factors: climate, organisms (including vegetation and microbes), relief (topography), parent material, and time. Key mechanisms include weathering of minerals, organic matter accumulation and decomposition, eluviation and illuviation of clays and solutes, and aggregation into distinct horizons (O, A, E, B, C). These processes control soil texture, structure, porosity, pH, nutrient availability, and horizon differentiation, thereby determining soil classification and function in terrestrial ecosystems.
Hilly and mountainous landscapes have a much greater ability to store carbon in the soil than previously thought, according to a new study co-led by scientists at the University of Oregon.
Earth Sciences
Jun 12, 2026
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39
A study conducted in the Brazilian state of Amazonas has demonstrated that small amounts of Amazonian dark earth (ADE)—an anthropogenic soil created by ancient Amazonian populations—can increase the height and diameter of ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 28, 2026
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178
A new report led by Conservation International and IUCN, published today in Oryx, warns that over 40% of more than 8,500 soil‑dependent species are at risk of extinction or Data‑Deficient on the IUCN Red List of Threatened ...
Ecology
Apr 15, 2026
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6
In the heart of the Marais Poitevin regional nature park, the second-largest wetland in France, a scientific team led by a CNRS researcher has demonstrated the ability of clay soils to self-organize into geometric patterns. ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 25, 2026
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6
In the forests of the southeastern United States, dense tree cover dominates most landscapes. That's why the Appalachian Trail is sometimes nicknamed "The Green Tunnel." But avid hikers know that often in the Southeast, they'll ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 2, 2026
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524
A new study led by Prof. Chen Hongsong from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed that calcium-rich bedrock can reshape the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) within karst ...
Ecology
Nov 4, 2025
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12
It's soil that slips through your fingers—loose, dry and stubbornly unproductive. Stretching across large parts of South Australia and western Victoria, sandy soils have long resisted conventional farming methods. They shed ...
Agriculture
Sep 18, 2025
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16
Over the last 3,800 years, agro-pastoral activities have accelerated alpine soil erosion at a pace four to 10 times faster than their natural formation. The history of this erosion has just been revealed for the first time ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 14, 2025
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73
A new study has dug deep into the past of the coastal dunes of an iconic Queensland location in a bid to better understand how microscopic processes in the soil support some of the most biodiverse landscapes on Earth.
Earth Sciences
May 12, 2025
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101
