Characteristic soil smell?

[Bruce A. Caldwell]

The most common of several related compounds giving the 'earth' smell is
geosmin, released by a wide variety of actinomycetes (Streptomycetes), some
cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), and beets.

Bruce Caldwell
Forest Science
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR  97331-5752
USA

Kate Orman wrote:

> I hope you'll forgive this intrusion - I'm a science fiction writer and a
> former microbiology student, racking my brains to remember something one
> of my lecturers once said! Apparently there's a particular soil microbe
> which gives soil its characteristic smell. I'd like to mention it in a
> story I'm writing, but I can't remember the organism's name for the life
> of me, and my research hasn't turned it up. I'd be most grateful for any
> help!
>
> Cheers,
>
> --
> Kate Blum Orman <korman at zip.com.au> http://www.zip.com.au/~korman/
> "I have no idea what that meant." - Dot Warner