Saprolite
Saprolite ( ancient Greek σαπρός sapros , German 'rotten' and λίθος líthos 'stone'), also saprolite, is the name for an originally silicate rock that has undergone deep chemical weathering under humid conditions (e.g. in tropical regions) . It is usually soft or crumbly and shows the structure of the parent rock as autochthonous (not rearranged) weathering formation.
In addition to resistant minerals from the parent rock , especially quartz , saprolites contain high proportions of kaolinite , which has formed through the chemical weathering of primary minerals, especially feldspar . The compounds discharged as solution load in the course of weathering can be precipitated again elsewhere. Even more intensive weathering, which goes beyond the saprolite stage, leads to a depletion of quartz and thus to the formation of a laterite horizon above the saprolite.
Saprolite should not be confused with sapropelite , which is formed when digested sludge ( sapropel ), a dark, carbon-rich sediment deposited in a reducing chemical environment , is lithified .
literature
- Hans Murawski, Wilhelm Meyer: Geological dictionary . 10th, revised and expanded edition, Enke Verlag, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-432-84100-0 .
Web links
- Vogelsberg basalts. P. 57. (accessed on September 13, 2019)
- Slope sediments and saprolites as basic components of the Critical Zone - examples from the Bavarian Forest and the Colorado Front Range (accessed on September 13, 2019)
- SOIL CONDITION REPORT RHINE-PALATINATE (accessed on September 13, 2019)
- Geomorphological surveys in the land of a thousand hills (accessed September 13, 2019)