The weathering process of carbonatite: weathering time.

Soil formation by rock weathering is driven by a combination of parent material, climate, organisms, topography, and time. Among these soil-forming factors, time plays a pivotal role in the weathering of carbonatite but it is a challenging factor to study quantitatively. A method for determining the weathering duration of carbonatite based on its weathering characteristics over a century-scale time period has not been clearly established. In this study, we selected abandoned carbonatite tombstones commonly found in the karst region of southwest China for investigation, using the date when the tombstones were erected as the onset of weathering. Chemical weathering indices were used to evaluate the weathering degree of different oxide contents produced by the carbonatite weathering process. In order to explore the weathering characteristics over time, the relationship between weathering duration and weathering degree was established. The results showed the following: (1) magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), iron (Fe), titanium (Ti) are gradually enriched in the carbonatite regolith, and calcium (Ca) is gradually reduced. (2) The chemical indices of alteration (CIA), leaching coefficient (Lc), alumina-to-calcium ratio (AC) and mobiles index (I) can be successfully used for evaluation of the weathering degree of the carbonatite in different weathering time periods. (3) During the weathering of carbonatite, the weathering rate is a logarithmic function of time. Our research shows that over a period of more than 100 years of weathering, the carbonatite weathering process is characterized by fast weathering rates and low weathering degree in the early stages, but slow weathering rates in the later stages.