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 ...

For the first 4 billion years of Earth's existence, its continents were dusty, barren and rocky landscapes similar to the surface of Mars. But, around 500 million years ago, this all changed. Land ...

Canopy soils that form on tree branches contain three times more carbon than soils on the ground in Costa Rica, potentially serving as an important carbon sink around the world. New research reveals a ...

Rapid erosion due to human activity, such as grazing livestock and farming, has stripped the Alps of almost all the soil formed since the retreat of the glaciers. This soil developed over millennia as ...

From the lava plains of the Alvord Desert to the fertile alluvium of the Willamette Valley, Oregon’s secret wealth is lying all around us. It’s an ingredient forged from stars, fire and ice and, ...