Soil organic carbon quantity, chemistry and thermal stability in a mountainous landscape: A Rock-Eval pyrolysis survey

► Testing Rock-Eval pyrolysis as a landscape-scale tool for soil C inventory. ► The technique predicts reliable soil C contents even in calcareous soils. ► Rock-Eval pyrolysis brings insights into soil C bulk chemistry and stability. ► Soil C persistence in high altitude soils is linked to local environmental factors. ► Rock-Eval pyrolysis could become a standardized proxy for soil C vulnerability.