I often wonder how many people understand the difference between dirt and soil. The human species has spectacularly consumed much of the planet’s soil that has been generated over millennia in such a short period.
Dirt - includes sand, silt, and clay. It may also contain rocks or pebbles. It generally does not contain minerals, nutrients, or any type of organized, live ecosystems. [ source ]
Soil - the biologically active, porous medium that has developed in the uppermost layer of Earth’s crust. Soil] is one of the principal substrata of life on Earth, serving as a reservoir of water and nutrients, as a medium for the filtration and breakdown of injurious wastes, and as a participant in the cycling of carbon and other elements through the global ecosystem. It has evolved through weathering processes driven by biological, climatic, geologic, and topographic influences. [ source ]