This work is the first in a two-volume set that addresses the interactions of soil minerals with the organic matter and microbes found in soil. These interactions have an impact on the dynamics, transformations, toxicity of metals and other factors that affect land quality and ecosystem health. The result of the working group of the International Society of Soil Science, this is an extensive and in-depth study of the complex reactions and interactions that occur in soil. Volume One examines land quality and natural and anthropogenic organics.