Quartz is one of the less soluble minerals on the Earth surface. Nonetheless, quartz-dominated lithologies present very peculiar landforms that have been often associated to karst terrains. This paradox has been investigated since more than 50 years, with several researchers showing that the chemical behavior of silica with water (solubility, rate of solution) and the petrographic characters of these rocks concur in disaggregation through the “arenization” process. Computer modeling of arenization, laboratory studies and field research in natural settings show that solutional weathering of quartz constitute an essential, often neglected, landform-shaping process.
Solutional Weathering of Quartz-Dominated Lithologies
Sauro F.
Writing – Original Draft Preparation
;
2022
Abstract
Quartz is one of the less soluble minerals on the Earth surface. Nonetheless, quartz-dominated lithologies present very peculiar landforms that have been often associated to karst terrains. This paradox has been investigated since more than 50 years, with several researchers showing that the chemical behavior of silica with water (solubility, rate of solution) and the petrographic characters of these rocks concur in disaggregation through the “arenization” process. Computer modeling of arenization, laboratory studies and field research in natural settings show that solutional weathering of quartz constitute an essential, often neglected, landform-shaping process.
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