Process · Glossary
Mineral Cycle
Also: MCI, Mineral Cycle Index
Definition
How effectively nutrients move between soil, plants, animals and decomposers. The third of the four ecosystem processes.
The Mineral Cycle process is about whether the nutrients on a piece of land are being cycled (moved between soil, plants, animals and decomposers in a continuous biological loop) or being lost, stranded, or imported as inputs.
A working mineral cycle leaves visible traces on the ground: rapid litter decomposition, dung that breaks down in days rather than mummifying, varied functional plant groups (deep-rooted, shallow-rooted, nitrogen-fixing, mineral-mining), active surface biology. A failing mineral cycle shows up as undecomposed litter, “thatch”, capped soil, monoculture-dominant swards, and a creeping dependence on imported fertiliser to maintain output.
EcoIntel’s Mineral Cycle Index (MCI) scores this 0–100 per field using satellite signals that proxy biological turnover: chlorophyll response indicators, vegetation maturity patterns, structural diversity in the canopy, and bare-soil exposure over time.
When MCI is the limiting indicator, the conversation is about livestock and decomposer integration, plant-species diversity, residue management and reducing reliance on synthetic inputs. The win condition is a system where the nutrients already on the property keep circulating, not one where you keep pouring more in.