Abstract
Subsidence of soil can be caused by two processes: compression and shrinkage. The computation of the compression is based on the empirical law of Terzaghi; shrinkage of soil layers is computed using the, also empirical, "law of soil ripening". By combining both laws it is proved that for satured peat soils a relationship exists between the water-organic matter ratio (A-H) and the maximum overburden pressure affecting the peat. This relationship was examined by sampling a series of 25 peat layers in the field.