Compost Pile Thermal Succession — 2D Cross-Section

Every compost pile is a self-heating bioreactor: aerobic microbes oxidise food scraps and yard waste, releasing energy as heat and driving the pile through mesophilic and thermophilic phases before it cools and cures. This 2D cross-section renders the same heat-balance model as the 3D version — carbon:nitrogen ratio, moisture, pile insulation and oxygen supply all feed a differential heat balance — but lays it out as a slice through the pile plus a scrubbable timeline of temperature, oxygen and decomposition. Turn the pile to resupply oxygen to the core, or let it sit and watch an anaerobic zone spread from the centre, then drag the timeline back to see exactly when it started.