SOIL REMINERALIZATION AROUND THE WORLD Joanna Campe Remineralize the Earth Northampton, MA Remineralization creates fertile soils much the same way the earth does through the process of glaciation, volcanic eruptions, and from alluvial deposits. Natural mixtures such as glacial moraine, and single and mixed rock types contain a broad spectrum of minerals and trace elements which finely ground contribute to soil fertility. SR (soil remineralization) has been shown to: increase yields, give higher brix readings, stimulate the growth of microorganisms and earthworm activity, increase the nutrient intake of plants, counter soil acidity, prevent soil erosion, increase the storage capacity of the soil and deter insects. Plants are more resistant to frost, drought, disease and insects. Millions of tons of finely ground rock dust are stockpiled by the stone and aggregate industry throughout the country and considered by-products. Much of this and freshly ground material have the potential to transform agriculture and forestry, bioremediation, wastewater and sewage sludge. Remineralization has been researched and explored by three different groups: First, German nutritional biochemist Julius Hensel pioneered SR in the 1880's with the book Bread from Stones and since the late l930's scientists have done SR research in Europe. More recently Peter von Fragstein and others have researched SR as a slow-release fertilizer and to deter insects. In the last few decades many rock dust products for agriculture and forestry have been marketed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by the natural stone industry. Second, the field of agrogeology in Canada has carried out research mainly on laterite soils. Because of the intense tropical rainfall, NPK fertilizers are washed out in only a few weeks and cannot be stored by the soils, and are especially harmful to the groundwater. They have shown that rock fertilizers not only give nutrients over longer periods to cultivated plants, but also improve the ion-exchange capacity of soils by forming new clay minerals during the weathering of the fertilizer. Third, is the ecological movement concerned with the thesis of John Hamaker in the book The Survival of Civilization (co-author Don Weaver) that SR is not only the key to restoring soils and forests, but in the larger context, necessary and urgent on a large scale to reduce levels of carbon dioxide and stabilize the climate. In the 1980's it expanded into a global community of ecologically concerned individuals and organizations, farmers and gardeners, scientists and policy makers. Remineralize the Earth has facilitated networking, collected research and anecdotal results of farmers and gardeners. Research packets for forestry and agriculture have been widely circulated. Some highlights presented here: * In Europe four times the timber volume for pine seedlings remineralized with basalt after 24 years showed improvements for 60 years over the untreated control. * Men of the Trees in Australia has achieved five time the growth for some species of tree and shortened their potting-out time from 5 months to 6 weeks. * Dr. Robert Bruck has seen greater health and height growth of remineralized trees planted in an acid-rain devastated forest near Asheville, NC. * In Michigan John Hamaker had two and a half time the yield of corn with no irrigation during dry conditions and with highly increased mineral content shown in tissue analysis. * A cost benefit analysis shows large savings and healthier plants for banana production in Australia. Future research should find out what rock types are most suitable for specific crops, soils and ecosystems. We need more information about forms of application and application rates, and specific interactions in the soil, along with the nutritional benefits. While SR is not a panacea and many specifics still need to be determined, rocks are one of the most abundant and cheaply available resources on earth and the availability of those minerals and trace elements determine the health of all life. Soil remineralization can play a major role in contributing to ecological and economic sustainability.