A simple definition of soil

Abstract

This paper presents a simpler definition of soil that reflects three aspects: ontology (what), epistemology (how), and axiology (value), which are related to the construction of the definition. Soil is the loose mineral or organic material comprising three phases solid, liquid, and, gaseous, found on the surface of the earth (ontology), resulting from weathering processes through interactions of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere (epistemology) serving as a habitat for micro and macro-organisms, plants, and animals, and ultimately supporting human life and civilization (axiology). This simple definition brings more attention to human soil interactions and build sustainable solutions for soil and civilization in the future.

Keywords

• Animal
• Civilization
• Function
• Human
• Plant
• Soil