Soil is an amazing substance.

Soil is an amazing substance.

Soil is an amazing substance. It is a complex mix of ingredients: minerals, air, water, and organic matter—the countless micro-organisms and the decaying remains of once living things. Soil is made of life and soil makes life.

·        To the farmer, soil is where crops grow.

·        To the engineer, soil is a foundation to build.

·        To the ecologist, soil supports and connects ecosystems.

·        To the archaeologist, soil holds clues to past cultures.

·        To craftspeople, like potters, soil provides clay to make things.

·        To the soil scientist, soil is all of these things.

Soil has been called "the skin of the earth" because it is the thin outermost layer of the Earth's crust. Like our own skin, we can't live without soil.