Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Biogeochemistry
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Videos
The importance of nitrogen and phosphorus in ecosystems
Quick Facts
Key People:
Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky
Related Topics:
Geochemistry
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Biogeochemistry

geochemistry
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History
The importance of nitrogen and phosphorus in ecosystems
The importance of nitrogen and phosphorus in ecosystemsAn overview of the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in the biosphere.
See all videos for this article

Biogeochemistry, the study of the behaviour of inorganic chemical elements in biological systems of geologic scope as opposed to organic geochemistry, which is the study of the organic compounds found in geologic materials and meteorites, including those of problematic biological origin. Topics that are classified within biogeochemistry and organic geochemistry include the origin of petroleum, the origin of life, composition of primitive atmospheres, biogeochemical prospecting for mineral deposits, the origin of certain ore deposits, the chemistry of natural waters, soil formation, and the chemistry of coal. Almost all geologic processes that occur at Earth’s surface are affected by biological activity.

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.