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Weathering and the Riverine Denudation of Continents pp 47–63Cite as

Weathering: Intensity and Rate

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Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Earth System Sciences ((BRIEFSEARTHSYST))

Abstract

The evaluation of the intensity of weathering is usually achieved by means of numerous procedures, which may be absolute or relative; may be tackled by examining the solid residue left by weathering or by establishing the nature of the dissolved fraction, whose largest proportion is exported from the continents via streams, rivers, and ground waters. Absolute methods are feasible when weathering profiles are complete and clearly exposed whereas relative methodologies are useful when the weathered product is not necessarily near its source. The use of multivariate methodologies and modeling appears as promising techniques to assess weathering intensity. Laboratory experimentation, on the other hand, has supplied useful information on weathering rates of minerals. The field-supported mass balance approach, however, has furnished the most reliable information on weathering rates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra-CICTERRA (CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, Argentina

    Pedro José Depetris, Andrea Inés Pasquini & Karina Leticia Lecomte

Authors
  1. Pedro José Depetris
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  2. Andrea Inés Pasquini
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  3. Karina Leticia Lecomte
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Correspondence to Pedro José Depetris .

Glossary

Felsic:

A silicate mineral or igneous rocks that are relatively rich in elements that form silicate minerals (e.g., feldspar). It also refers to those magma and rocks which are enriched in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminum, sodium, and potassium. They are usually light in color and have specific gravities less than 3. The most common felsic rock is granite.

Illitization:

Transformation by leaching of a potassium-rich mineral into illite.

Lateritic (Adjetive of Laterite):

Soil types rich in iron and aluminum, formed in hot and humid tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock.

Mafics:

A silicate mineral or rock that is rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color and the relative density is greater than 3. Common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks include basalt, dolerite, and gabbro.

Principal components analysis:

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a mathematical procedure that uses an orthogonal transformation to convert a set of observations (matrix) of possibly correlated variables into a set of values of linearly uncorrelated variables called principal components. The number of principal components is less than or equal to the number of original variables.

Saprolite:

A chemically weathered rock. It forms in the lower zone of soil profiles and represents deep weathering of the bedrock surface. In most outcrops its color comes from ferric compounds.

Sesquioxides:

An oxide containing three atoms of oxygen with two atoms (or radicals) of another element. Many sesquioxides contain metals in the +3 oxidation state and the oxide ion, e.g., Al2O3, La2O3.

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Depetris, P.J., Pasquini, A.I., Lecomte, K.L. (2014). Weathering: Intensity and Rate. In: Weathering and the Riverine Denudation of Continents. SpringerBriefs in Earth System Sciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7717-0_5

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