Quantifying the role of chemical weathering rates on soil developed along an altitudinal transect in the mountainous environments, Turkey

Abstract

Climate and elevations play an important role in controlling rate of weathering and soilformation. The role of chemical weathering rate on soil developed along an altitudinaltransect in the mountainous environments in Turkey was investigated to determine theeffects of climate on the geochemical characteristics of the soil. The main purposes of thisstudy were: i) To characterize the geochemical characteristics of soils as a function of climateii) To evaluate the soil formation and decomposition rates in Climosequence depending onthe elevation by using geochemical data. For this purpose, four representative profiles weredug at different elevations. The transect of four soils formed in limestone elevations from1139 to 1809 m. Our results showed that the rate of chemical weathering of CIA, CIW, PIAand MIA indicators decreased with the increase in elevation. In contrast, WIP value increasedat higher altitudes and exhibited different weathering directions by deviating from the maintrend in the A–CN–K diagram that composition of weathered soils was easily influenced bythe quantity of precipitation, degree of gradient and height differences. Therefore, it wasconcluded that the main factors determining soil development was climate and elevations,and both determine the leaching regime and weathering rates.