Weathering and Formation

The structures of the important primary and secondary minerals are described in Chapter 2. In the present chapter, the dynamic relationship between these two groups of minerals will be discussed. In particular, the physical-chemical factors that determine  

which primary minerals weather most readily in soils 

Mineral weathering generally occurs whenever water comes into contact with primary mineral particles. The overall processes of weathering are not reversible even though individual reaction steps are often treated as reversible equilibria. The main chemical mechanisms of weathering are  

exchange—displacement of base cations in structures by solution cations, most notably generated from water or carbonic acid dissociation 

hydration—addition of water to the mineral structure by processes that hydrolyze metal-oxygen bonds 

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During the processes of weathering and formation of sediments, beryllium closely follows the course of aluminum, being enriched, along with aluminum, in clays, bauxites, recent deep sea deposits, and other hydrolyzate sediments. This is due to the similarity of the basic properties and solubilities of these metals. Though radii and charges of the Be and ions differ, their ionic potentials are rather simi-... 

Ratios of U and U to Th and Ra daughters, combined with differences in chemical reactivity have been used to investigate the formation and weathering of limestone in karst soils of the Jura Mountains, and of the mountains in the central part of Switzerland. Uranium contained within calcite is released during weathering, and migrates as stable uranyl(VI) carbonato complexes through the soil. In contrast, the uranium decay products, Th and Ra,... 

In spite of low copper contents, massive horizontal development renders porphyry deposits amenable to large-scale production methods. Porphyry deposits are associated with igneous activity and intmsion of molten rocks into cooler parts of the earth s cmst, often in connection with the formation of mountains. Erosion of mountainous areas exposes these deposits to weathering, and, under the right conditions, enables the formation of oxidized or secondary copper deposits. Copper mines in the United States are Usted in Table 2. 

Moisture must be considered of primary importance in soil formation, in weathering, and in all of the changes taking place within the soil. The types of soil that form depend to a great extent upon the rainfall situation. Too little rainfall will prevent development of plant and animal life with their soil-building action. Too much moisture has a similar effect in preventing normal soil formation. 

Soil is a key component of the rock cycle because weathering and soil formation processes transform rock into more readily erodible material. Rates of soil formation may even limit the overall erosion rate of a landscape. Erosion processes are also a key linkage in the rock cycle... 

Many important erosion-related phenomena are episodic and infrequent, such as flash floods, landslides, and glaciations, while others such as orogenesis and soil formation involve time scales that exceed those of major climate fluctuations. In either case, the time scale of human existence is too short to make adequate observations. Consequently, it is difficult to directly estimate the rates or characterize the effects of such phenomena on erosion products. The key to understanding weathering and erosion, on a continental scale, is to decipher the relationship between landforms, the processes that produce them, and the chemistry and discharge of river-borne materials. 

The present sources to the ocean are the weathering of old evaporites (75% of river flux) and CP carried by atmospherically cycled sea-salts (25% of river flux). Loss from the ocean occurs via aerosols (about 25%) and formation of new evaporites. This last process is sporadic and tectonically controlled by the closing of marginal seas where evaporation is greater than precipitation. The oceanic residence time is so long for CP ( 100Myr) that an imbalance between input and removal rates will have little influence on oceanic concentrations over periods of less than tens of millions of years. 

Michalopoulos, P. and Aller, R. C. (1995). Rapid clay mineral formation in Amazon Delta sediments reverse weathering and oceanic elemental cycles. Science 270, 614-617. 

Field studies have shown that the first 5-6 mm of rain falling on a heated desert surface evaporate almost immediately, whilst single storms with more than 20 mm rain lose a major part of it by lateral runoff. Hence, it is estimated that from the already low rainfall in the arid zone an important part is lost for weathering and soil formation. The importance of this runoff... 

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