An oak tree in the middle of a meadow loses most of its leaves in Fall. The leaves fall to the ground and eventually become part of the meadow’s soil. What process will turn the leaves into soil?

I'm learning about the periodic tables and what each subject's configuration is. for example, hydrogen is 1s^1, but i don't understand how you get that. can someone me understand how to figure out how to figure this out? sorry if the question makes no sense, but it would really a lot if you could me understand! you so much if you can!