Weathering and the Riverine Denudation of Continents

DEPETRIS, PEDRO J.; PASQUINI, ANDREA I.; LECOMTE, KARINA L.

Springer Verlag

Lugar: Dordretch; Año: 2014 p. 95

978-94-007-7716-3

Denudation, volcanism, and tectonics are intertwined Earth system processes that constitute the main driving forces intervening in shaping the Earth?s landscape. Clearly, the wearing away of the Earth?s surface cannot occur unless a series of synergistic processes, collectively known as ?weathering,? are initiated. This term, in use for a long time, promotes the idea that climate (weather) always plays a major role in rock breakdown; since this is not the case in every instance the change for ?rock decay? has been proposed recently. At any rate, the linkage between weathering and denudation is not straightforward because the latter may be limited by the former (?weathering-limited denudation?) or, in contrast, it may be restricted by the hindered transport of the weathering-produced debris (?transport-limited denudation?). In addition to these possible scenarios, two new approaches have been gaining growth in the recent past: one is the study of the ?regolith? as a convenient research framework, and the other is the notion of ?the critical zone,? where the dynamic interaction with the atmosphere and vegetation is emphasized and added to the materials collectively defined as regolith.