Mossbauer spectroscopy is a valuable complement to the standard analytical techniques of soil science for characterizing the iron content of soils, and for studying the mineralogical transformations that occur during pedogenesis from the point of view of the iron. The uses and limitations of Mossbauer spectroscopy in this field are illustrated by five selected examples. In each case, the starting point is a different question relating to the soil colour, mineralogy, magnetization or mode of formation.