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A New Definition of Soil

Article  in  CSA News · October 2017

DOI: 10.2134/csa2017.62.1016

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Harold M. van Es
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 Published online October 5, 2017

SOIL
A new
definition
of

by Harold van Es

doi:10.2134/csa2017.62.1016

20 CSA News October 2017

O
ver the past years, we have entertained a lively discus-
sion on the definition of soil. Why is this important
to SSSA and society as a whole? Well, to succinctly
define “soil” delineates what we study, manage, and promote;
it defines who we “are” as soil scientists. Also, many official
documents and statutes make reference to soil without further
clarification, and SSSA’s definition, therefore, has important
legal implications. As our science and thinking on soil evolved,
there was a need to revisit the definition.
The Old Definition
According to the SSSA Glossary of Soil Science Terms, we
defined soil in two ways:
(i) The unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immedi-
ate surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the
growth of land plants.
(i) The unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of
the earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic
and environmental factors of: climate (including water and tem-
perature effects) and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by
relief, acting on parent material over a period of time. A product-
soil differs from the material from which it is derived in many
physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and
characteristics.
Several concerns emerged around these definitions over
recent years, including:
Exclusivity to the planet Earth: This has created discordance
with planetary scientists as they use the term “soil” in relation
to other celestial bodies (notably Mars in recent years). This also
sent an implicit message that soil science (and therefore research
funding) would not be relevant outside planet Earth. There was
no compelling reason to limit soil to planet Earth and create un-
necessary disagreement within the scientific community.
Unconsolidated vs. consolidated soils: Although this distin-
guishes soil from other surficial material (notably hard rock), it
was argued that many soils experience some level of consolida-
tion through internal order in forming aggregates.
Multi-phase system: Many regard soil as a medium where
solid matter provides a skeleton for soil, but liquids, gases,
and biota are also integral components. The old definition only
referred to the solid phase of the soil.
Soil processes: The second definition focuses on soil-forming
factors. In recent years, especially with the heightened interest
in soil health, the medium is increasingly described in simpler
terms related to physical, chemical, and biological processes,
which can also include less conventional soils (e.g., urban and
disturbed soils).
The Process of Developing a New Definition
As a result of these concerns, the definition of “soil” was
debated over the past two years, with many members contribut-
ing to the process. The SSSA Glossary working group reviewed
the definition and suggested new wording. During the 2016 An-
nual Meeting in Phoenix, the definition was further discussed
in a town hall meeting and at a session on extraterrestrial soils.
A Twitter hashtag (#soildefinition) was established for further
exchanges. Several interested members followed up by email
and exchanged perspectives and papers. A new definition was
October 2017 CSA News 21
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then proposed to the SSSAJ Board at its May 2017 retreat, which
resulted in further refinements and final approval at the August
2017 Board meeting.
The New Definition
It was decided to have a single definition of soil that aims to
be inclusive, direct, precise, and succinct. The new definition of
soil is
The layer(s) of generally loose mineral
and/or organic material that are affect-
ed by physical, chemical, and/or bio-
logical processes at or near the plan-
etary surface and usually hold liquids,
gases, and biota and support plants.
This new definition is believed to be understandable to
scientists and professionals, but it is not intended as a definition
for popular science communications—we use more common
language for those. Below are some additional notes:
• The proposed definition is inclusive of diverse soil environ-
ments, including urban, hydric, desert, and even extrater-
restrial soils, and combines important concepts from the
previous definitions: (i) the composition of soil and (ii) the
processes that affect(ed) it.
• We use the term “layer(s)” to include both the natural lay-
ered soil and non-layered soil, like disturbed soil.
• We use the term “generally loose” instead of “unconsolidat-
ed” to allow for a wider range of particle arrangements
• The expression “are affected by” defines soil as being ac-
tively impacted by “physical, chemical, and/or biological
processes,” which is more direct and less theoretical than
the model of soil forming processes.
• The phrasing “usually hold liquids, gases, and biota and
support plants” explicitly brings in the multi-phase
dimension of soil but allows for flexibility. It stresses the
importance of these attributes, but it does not make them
required features; e.g., soils in extreme deserts do not re-
quire plants, and life is not essential for a soil on Mars.
In summary, the new definition preserves mineral-organic
material as the key component (skeleton) of soil but acknowl-
edges that liquids, gases, biota, and plants are usually inte-
gral factors. It also links soil to processes at or near the planet
surface, which offers a conceptual spatial extent. And, of course,
we now acknowledge the existence of soils outside planet Earth.
I would like to express gratitude to all who contributed to
this process. Changing the definition, not unexpectedly, brought
out many viewpoints. Perhaps the definition is not perfect for
everyone, but we were able to build consensus on something
that is inherently difficult to define.
H. van Es, Past President of SSSA