Overview of Weathering and Soils Geomorphology

Weathering (rock decay) and soil geomorphology constitutes a specific subfield of Earth surface processes, equally important in the process system in creating the surface landscape. While weathering and soils are of interest to a broad range of sciences, their role in geomorphology is specific and important. Weathering is the precursor to both chemical and mechanical erosion—denudation, thus important to the generation of sediments carried by other surface processes. Weathering is essential to the creation of soils. Weathering in all the cases is relevant to erosional and depositional landforms. However, specific in this volume are the landforms and landform processes dominated by weathering.