Soil is the most important resource of the solid earth that humans use. It is the source of most of our food and fiber, much of our building materials, and the repository of most of our wastes. Over the last 10,000 years we have learned to manipulate it for our purposes to such a degree that our ecological footprint has notably modified about two thirds of the soils of the Earth. The Encyclopedia of Soil Science provides a comprehensive, alphabetical treatment of basic soil science in a single volume. It constitutes a wide ranging and authoritative collection of some 160 academic articles covering the salient aspects of soil physics, chemistry, biology, fertility, technology, genesis, morphology, classification and geomorphology. With increased usage of soil for world food production, building materials, and waste repositories, demand has grown for a better global understanding of soil and its processes. Longer articles by leading authorities from around the world are supplemented by some 430 definitions of common terms in soil sciences.