Explorations into a dynamic process-oriented soil science

In 1982 standard organic matter characterization studies on soil from a multicomponent archaeological site were conducted. Two simple laboratory procedures, the Ball Loss-on-Ignition and Walkley-Black wet oxidation, were used to characterize three hearth features containing charcoal. For surface organically enriched soil horizons (A, E, and plow zone) the two procedures generally yielded similar results. However, the results from these two procedures were not similar for the three sub plow-zone cultural features. Thus began a study of soils that has extended over twenty-five years, and involved over 7,000 samples from around the world in order to understand why subsoil anthropogenic organic carbon behaves differently from surface soil organic carbon.; Why the two procedures yielded results different from that expected initially appeared simple: it was due to time. But the search to determine why this should be so has led to the development of new ways to think of, to characterize, and to understand soil, not as static geologic detritus affected by organisms and weather, but as dynamic self organizing systems that embody many of the fundamental processes usually associated only with biotic organisms. This new understanding of soil's complexity has potential significance for the sequestering of organic carbon in soil, the construction and use of soil health indices, policies and management of human generated wastes and pollutants, agricultural practices, planning and development of sustainable geo-ecosystems, archaeological investigations and even the search for extra terrestrial life.