Why is soil considered to be a nonrenewable natural resource?

It is easily transported.
It is easily transported.

It takes so long to form.
It takes so long to form.

It uses a lot of Earth’s energy.
It uses a lot of Earth’s energy.

It can never be replaced.

1 answer

Soil is considered a nonrenewable natural resource primarily because it takes so long to form. The process of soil formation, which involves the weathering of rocks and the decomposition of organic matter, can take thousands of years to create just a few inches of topsoil. While soil can be disturbed or degraded relatively quickly due to human activities such as agriculture, urbanization, and deforestation, the natural processes that regenerate healthy soil occur over very long timescales. Once lost, fertile topsoil cannot be easily replaced, making it a limited resource.