Chemical Weathering and its Impact on Landscape Evolution

Abstract

The study presents a detailed synthesis of chemical weathering and its deep significance to landscape development. Based on a structured literature review, we examine the key chemical reactions such as solution, carbonation, hydrolysis, and oxidation and the essential environmental parameters, such as climate, lithology, and time, which regulate their rates. Our synthesis demonstrates that chemical weathering is an inherent geomorphic driver of change that results in recognizable landforms including karst landscapes, thick saprolite profiles, etchplains, inselbergs, and spheroidal weathering, and underlies soil development. We highlight the importance of the synergy between chemical and physical weathering in which chemical alteration frequently pre-conditioning rocks for subsequent erosion. Finally, this work emphasizes chemical weathering's critical function in controlling Earth's surface and modulating global biogeochemical cycles, making it relevant to understanding past and future environmental patterns.