Mineralization Process

Term · Environment · MLC-T-ENV-017390

1. The formation of minerals. New minerals may be added to fractures and empty spaces in a rock or by replacing preexisting minerals with different ones.

2. In mineralization, the nitrogen (N) in plant tissue is converted by soil microbes into a form (nitrate) that subsequent plants can use. When the microbes die, the N is mineralized and becomes available for subsequent crop use.

3. The conversion of organic compounds into inorganic, plant-available compounds such as ammonium. This is accomplished by soil organisms as they consume organic matter and excrete wastes.

4. The release of inorganic chemicals from organic matter in the process of aerobic or anaerobic decay.

Table 1. Record
Identifier	MLC-T-ENV-017390
Field	Environment
References	USGS Geology in the Parks Glossary; EPA Guidance for Federal Land Management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Glossary at http://www.epa.gov/owow_keep/NPS/chesbay502/pdf/chesbay_glossary.pdf; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services Soil Ecology Terms Glossary; Office of Underground Storage Tanks Technical Terms

Record as JSON

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-017390",
  "term": "Mineralization Process",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. The formation of minerals. New minerals may be added to fractures and empty spaces in a rock or by replacing preexisting minerals with different ones.\n\n2. In mineralization, the nitrogen (N) in plant tissue is converted by soil microbes into a form (nitrate) that subsequent plants can use. When the microbes die, the N is mineralized and becomes available for subsequent crop use.\n\n3. The conversion of organic compounds into inorganic, plant-available compounds such as ammonium. This is accomplished by soil organisms as they consume organic matter and excrete wastes.\n\n4. The release of inorganic chemicals from organic matter in the process of aerobic or anaerobic decay.",
  "references": [
    "USGS Geology in the Parks Glossary",
    "EPA Guidance for Federal Land Management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Glossary at http://www.epa.gov/owow_keep/NPS/chesbay502/pdf/chesbay_glossary.pdf",
    "USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services Soil Ecology Terms Glossary",
    "Office of Underground Storage Tanks Technical Terms"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/mineralization-process/"
}

Record 17,390 of 30,736 in Environment terminology (MLC-0121). Request the full dataset.