Comparison of natural processes on paleosols and human impact on modern soil through carbon measurements

Soil formation occurs through the weathering of rocks and can take hundreds of years to develop. The resulting composition is minerals, organisms (dead and living), air, and water. Soil can be used to indicate temperature, rainfall, atmospheric composition, botany, and the climate of the area that it is in. Ancient buried soils, paleosols, have no relation to the current climate and can be used as paleoclimate proxies to help reconstruct the characteristics of a past time. From Precambrian time to pre-civilization, soils have been affected by natural processes but the human impact has changed how soils develop. The negative effects of humans can come in various forms such as erosion, desertification, salinization; and human involvement in the rapid pace of climate change. By comparing the soil samples from the same location, we can identify the differing climates due to the variations and the measurement of soil carbon. The production of carbon in soil starts from photosynthesis which causes the decomposition of organic matter resulting in the accumulation of carbon, paleosols display the remnants of this process. Based on how soil has formed in the past, a similar process should be taking place today, but this may change because of human disturbance. Present-day soil may no longer be reflective of the environment that it is in and could not be used as a climate proxy in the future.