Abstract
The climate changed significantly during the quaternary period driving the change of whole ecosystems including soils. Glacial periods are typical of mechanical weathering, intensive erosion and deposition of material.
Soils are represented only by initial undeveloped soils in those periods. Soils start to develop with the development of vegetation at the beginning of and during warmer and wetter interglacial periods when chemical and biological weathering dominate and erosion is less intensive.
Increasing precipitation leads to leaching of nutrients, thus soils are naturally acidifying. This natural soil cycle was significantly interrupted by human activities.