Does Dirt Burn? Application of Scanning Calorimetry to Estimate Soil Organic Matter Loss After Fires

The heating of soil during fires may result in organic matter loss. The ratio of combustion enthalpy of soil organic matter to the alpha-beta quartz transition enthalpy can be used to compare heated and unheated soil. This eliminates the need to weigh samples and is insensitive to differences in water content between heated and unheated soils, making possible in-situ applications in field sites.