Soil Pedogenesis in the Anthropocene: a Review of Modern Approaches and Emerging Challenges

The Anthropocene, a proposed geological epoch defined by humanity's overwhelming impact on Earth's systems, has fundamentally altered the trajectory of soil formation (pedogenesis).This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the current understanding of how human activities are reshaping soilforming processes, leading to the development of novel soil types and posing unprecedented challenges to global soil security and ecosystem services.We critically examine the fundamental drivers of pedogenesis in the Anthropocene, including intensive agriculture, urbanization, industrial pollution, mining, and anthropogenic climate change.These drivers introduce new parent materials, drastically alter soil horizons, modify biogeochemical cycles at planetary scales, and accelerate erosion and formation rates far beyond natural geological timescales.The paper provides a detailed overview of the modern analytical toolbox used to characterize these anthropogenically-influenced soils.This includes advanced spectroscopic methods (e.g., FTIR, XRF, Synchrotron-XAS), high-resolution remote and proximal sensing, stable and radioactive isotopic tracers, and a suite of 'omics' technologies (metagenomics, proteomics) for analyzing the soil microbiome's response to anthropogenic stress.These tools enable a nuanced, mechanistic understanding of the complex interactions between human-made materials and natural soil components.We then delve into the most pressing emerging challenges, with a particular focus on the pedogenesis and management of Technosols soils dominated by artificial materials and the pervasive, insidious issue of emerging contaminants.These include microplastics, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the "forever chemicals."The long-term impacts of these contaminants on soil structure, function, health, and their potential transfer into the food chain are critically evaluated.Finally, this review highlights the critical need for an integrated, interdisciplinary, and forward-looking approach to soil science in the Anthropocene.Understanding these new pedogenic pathways is not merely an academic exercise but an urgent necessity for developing sustainable land management strategies, ensuring global food and water security, remediating contaminated landscapes, and mitigating environmental degradation on a human-dominated planet.We conclude by outlining key research gaps and future directions, emphasizing the urgency of adapting pedological theory and practice to address the profound complexities of a rapidly changing Earth.