Plain language summary:

This study looks at the Critical Zone, which is the area of the Earth's land surface that is responsible for sustaining life. Researchers from the University of Arizona found a link between the activities of carbon-consuming microbes and the transformation of rock to soil in the critical zone. They also found that microbial life is an "active engineer" in determining how the Earth's critical zone evolves. The findings of this study provide insight into how mineral weathering, microorganisms, and organic acids interact to form soil and how this affects the carbon cycle and global climate.