Abstract: The soil profiles of woodland and dryland in Biyang County, Zhumadian, Henan province, are studied. The magnetic characteristics are carried out by means of environmental magnetism. The results are as follows: (1) The main magnetic minerals in dryland and woodland are low-coercivity ferrimagnetic minerals. Simultaneously, a small amount of high-coercivity magnetic minerals are also appeared. (2) The magnetic domain of both is approximate, ranging from 0.2 to 1 μm. (3) After returning farmland to forest, forest land has been developed in its natural state for about 20 years, however, the magnetic characteristics are not changed significantly, indicating that the natural soil-forming process does not change the magnetic characteristics in a short period of time. (4) Compared to woodland, the content of ferrimagnetic minerals in dryland is higher, suggesting that the increased content is closely related to human activities. Meanwhile, the deeper downward migration of magnetic minerals in dryland indicates that human activity has accelerated the process.