The Chemistry Of Weathering

Several important developments in our understanding of the chemistry of weathering have occurred in the last few years: 1. There has been a major breakthrough in our understanding of the mechanisms controlling the kinetics of sil icate dissolution, and there have been major advances in computer modeling of weathering processes. 2. There has been a growing recognition of the importance of organic solutes in the weathering process, and hence of the inter-relationships between mineral weathering and the terrestrial ecosystem. 3. The impact of acid deposition ("acid rain") has been widely recognized. The processes by which acid deposition is neutral ized are closely related to the processes of normal chemical weathering; an understanding of the chemistry of weathering is thus essential for predicting the effects of acid deposition. 4. More high-qual ity data have become available on the chemical dynamics of smal I watersheds and large river systems, which represent the integrated effects of chemical weathering.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Aussois, France, September 4-15, 1985

Our landscape is constantly changing, but before the dramatic effects of erosion and mass movement take place, more subtle forces work on the rocks, minerals and soils around us. Weathering is the initial process which exposes the top few layers of the Earth to the potential for change. This book provides an introduction to the scientific principles behind mechanical, chemical and biological weathering. Starting with a consideration of the chemical and physical properties of rocks and water, the authors proceed to an accessible explanation of the weathering processes themselves, concluding with a review of weathering rates and intensities, and a survey of the effects of weathering on the landscape. Assuming little background knowledge, the authors develop ideas from first principles to provide a straightforward introduction to weathering for students of geography, geology and earth and environmental science.

This is a discount Black and white version. Some images may be unclear, please see BCCampus website for the digital version.This book was born out of a 2014 meeting of earth science educators representing most of the universities and colleges in British Columbia, and nurtured by a widely shared frustration that many students are not thriving in courses because textbooks have become too expensive for them to buy. But the real inspiration comes from a fascination for the spectacular geology of western Canada and the many decades that the author spent exploring this region along with colleagues, students, family, and friends. My goal has been to provide an accessible and comprehensive guide to the important topics of geology, richly illustrated with examples from western Canada. Although this text is intended to complement a typical first-year course in physical geology, its contents could be applied to numerous other related courses.

Volume 31 of Reviews in Mineralogy reviews current thinking on the fundamental processes that control chemical weathering of silicates, including the physical chemistry of reactions at mineral surfaces, the role of experimental design in isolating and quantifying these reactions, and the complex roles that water chemistry, hydrology, biology, and climate play in weathering of natural systems. The chapters in this volume are arranged to parallel this order of development from theoretical considerations to experimental studies to characterization of natural systems. Secondly, the book is meant to serve as a reference from which researchers can readily retrieve quantitative weathering rate data for specific minerals under detailed experimental controls or for natural weathering conditions. Toward this objective, the authors were encouraged to tabulate available weathering rate data for their specific topics. Finally this volume serves as a forum in which suggestions and speculations concerning the direction of future weathering research are discussed.

Soil science is perhaps one of the oldest practical sciences, having been of concern to man probably from the time he progressed from a strictly preda tory life to one in which agriculture became important. In view of the anti quity of concern with the subject, it is perhaps surprising that it can be approached from a fresh viewpoint, as is done in this book. Because soil science is an applied science, it is not surprising that the approach is usually descriptive, rather than imaginative. For agriculturalists and other land users, perhaps the most important part of soil science is the description of soils and the capacities of such soils to maintain crops, and this is reflected by the fact that soil science is usually treated ima highly descriptive manner, with soil classification being one of the main efforts. The treatment of the subject from a geological point of view, with considerable emphasis on the evolution of soils and the reasons governing their composition and form, makes this a highly readable book. Books on soil science are timely, with present-day concern with such major problems as the pollution of our environment and the possibility of overreaching our capacity for producing food for an expanding population.