ASPECTS OF CLIMATIC INFLUENCE ON THE CLAY MINERALOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF SOILS, PALEOSOLS AND CLASTIC SEDIMENTARY-ROCKS

Bedrock influence is greatest under conditions of low to moderate precipitation where unstable minerals persist. Local topography, however, also strongly influences both the rate and products of chemical weathering, quite independently of climate. On the grand scale, tectonic factors may constrain the time available for profiles to develop, hence the extent to which bedrock minerals survive or are altered. Mountain soils reflect local climate and bedrock composition much more than latitutde. -from Author