It can take 500-1000 years for an inch of soil to develop naturally. However, under the right conditions, new soil can be created in a few weeks or months. These time periods are considerably shorter than the renewal periods of oil, coal, iron ore, and gold, which take millions or billions of years to develop via the geologic cycle.

The most common definition used for "volatile" in the media would probably be dangerous, but this is not always true to scientific application. "Volatile" in this context could pertain to a chemical spill perhaps, indicating the volatility in the chemical means that it could soon be not only a ground spill but also contaminate the air surrounding the area as well.