Soils, Slopes, Vegetation, and Weathering Rate

For a given set of conditions (lithology, climate, slope, etc.), there is presumably an optimum soil 

For soil profiles that are less than the optimum thickness, there is a destabilizing feedback between Soil thickness and weathering rate. Assume that a 

When soil thickness is at the stable value (F), erosion is transport-limited. Chemical weathering is also transport-limited. This is, however, not because of reaction kinetics instead, this limitation is primarily controlled by physical factors, specifically restricted access of water to the primary minerals. 

There are two principal ways to selectively partition different elements between the dissolved and solid 

Both of these phenomena can cause the formation of new suites of clays and sesquioxides, and the precipitation of carbonates. 

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