Residual soils

Abstract

Living reference work entry First Online: 15 March 2017 Synonyms: Alteration products; Lateritic soils; Saprolites; Weathering products Definition: Residual soil is the material resulting from the in situ weathering of the parent rock which has not been transported from its place of origin. Residual soils are distributed throughout many regions of the world, such as Africa, South Asia, Australia, Southeastern North America, Central and South America, and considerable regions of Europe. The largest areas and thicknesses of these soils occur normally in humid tropical regions, such as Brazil, Nigeria, South India, Singapore, and the Philippines. Characteristics: According to Duarte (2002), the diversity exhibited by the residual soils is due, not so much, to the lithology of the original rock, but mainly to external factors such as climate, topography, and vegetation cover; factors that provide distinctive weathering processes; and, consequently, distinctive weathering products – the residual soils. At the first International Conference on...

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