soil

Also known as dirt, ground, earth

thumb|upright=1.25|Surface-water-Gley soil|gley developed in [[glacial till in Northern Ireland]]

AI overview

I don't have sufficient context to write an accurate overview of soil based solely on the image caption provided, as it only describes one specific type of soil (gley soil in glacial till) rather than explaining what soil is generally or why it matters broadly. Writing beyond this single example would require me to invent facts rather than base the overview only on the given context.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

322,367 papers

Soil microbiota as game-changers in restoration of degraded lands.ReviewScience (New York, N.Y.) · 2022Coban O, De Deyn GB, van der Ploeg MDOI: 10.1126/science.abe0725
Arthropods in soil reclamation and bioremediation: Functional roles, mechanisms and future perspective.ReviewJournal of environmental management · 2024Shehzad K, Tu S, Majeed MZ et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122820
Microbial interactions within beneficial consortia promote soil health.ReviewThe Science of the total environment · 2023Wu D, Wang W, Yao Y et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165801
Recent research progress of soil nematode ecology in China.ReviewYing yong sheng tai xue bao = The journal of applied ecology · 2024Liang SW, Liu XT, Li YB et al.DOI: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202408.031
Impact of atrazine on soil microbial properties: A meta-analysis.ReviewEnvironmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2023Hu Y, Jiang Z, Hou A et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121337
Soil Nematodes as the Silent Sufferers of Climate-Induced Toxicity: Analysing the Outcomes of Their Interactions with Climatic Stress Factors on Land Cover and Agricultural Production.ReviewApplied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2023Biswal DDOI: 10.1007/s12010-022-03965-x
Nitrogen availability mediates soil carbon cycling response to climate warming: A meta-analysis.Global change biology · 2023Bai T, Wang P, Qiu Y et al.DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16627
Research progress on earthworms and soil health.ReviewYing yong sheng tai xue bao = The journal of applied ecology · 2025Liu RW, Zhai JJ, Wang XDOI: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202502.036

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Wikidata facts

Image: Stagnogley.JPG

Show 2 more facts

Commons category: Soils
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00001998

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~71 min read

Article

37 sections

Contents

Processes
Composition
Formation
Physical properties
Soil moisture
Soil gas
Solid phase (soil matrix)
Soil biodiversity
Chemistry
Cation and anion exchange
Cation exchange capacity (CEC)
Anion exchange capacity (AEC)
Reactivity (pH)
Base saturation percentage
Buffering
Redox
Nutrients
Soil organic matter
Horizons
Classification
Uses
Degradation
Acidification
Contamination
Desertification
Erosion
Salination
Reclamation
History of studies and research
Studies of soil fertility
Studies of soil formation
See also
References
Sources
Bibliography
Further reading
External links

thumb|upright=1.25|Surface-water-Gley soil|gley developed in [[glacial till in Northern Ireland]]

Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from soil by restricting the former term specifically to displaced soil. thumb|upright|Soil measuring and surveying device Soil consists of a solid collection of minerals and organic matter (the soil matrix), as well as a porous phase that holds gases (the soil atmosphere) and a liquid phase that holds water and dissolved substances both organic and inorganic, in ionic or in molecular form (the soil solution). Accordingly, soil is a complex three-state system of solids, liquids, and gases. Soil is a product of several factors: the influence of climate, relief (elevation, orientation, and slope of terrain), organisms, and the soil's parent materials (original minerals) interacting over time. It continually undergoes development through numerous physical, chemical, and biological processes, which include weathering with associated erosion. Given its complexity and strong internal connectedness, soil ecologists regard soil as an ecosystem.