The purposes of this study are to clarify the characteristics of weathering and to investigate weathering phenomenon of granitic rocks(granite, grantie-gneiss) and limestones in Korea.
177 samples were collected from outcrops(clayey gruss, gruss, wea...
The purposes of this study are to clarify the characteristics of weathering and to investigate weathering phenomenon of granitic rocks(granite, grantie-gneiss) and limestones in Korea.
177 samples were collected from outcrops(clayey gruss, gruss, weathered rock, fresh rock) in the study area.
The size of weathering products was performed for clay, silt and sand by sieve and hydrometer. The chemical analyses were performed for SiO_(2), Al_(2)O_(3), Fe_(2)O_(3), CaO, MgO, K_(2)O, Na_(2)O, Ig-loss by wet analysis and trace elements(Ti, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Sb, Ba, La, Ce, Pb, Bi, Th, U) by ICP-MS. X-ray diffraction was implemented for the bed rock and weathering products using Rigaku X-Ray diffractometer. Also from the data analysed, Factor analysis was performed in order to identify the major components of weathering products.
The results of the analysis are summarized as follows :
Weathering products of granitic rocks had the standard hue of the 10YR, 7.5YR, 2.5Y, and 7.5YR, 7.5Y in those of limestone. Thus, the color sequence of weathering products could be related to the bedrock.
The water content of weathering products is increased linearly with clay content, and the ratio of water content is orderly by clayey gruss(14.01-17 95%), gruss(10.03-12.93%), weathered rock(1,91-2,21%), fresh rock(0.31-0.83).
The weathering products of granite are crumbled both by weathering and hydrothermal, but those of granite-gneiss are done only by weathering.
Clay series consisted of very fine or fine materials were mostly influenced by hydrothermal, but Sand series consisted of coarse materials were strongly influenced by weathering.
Pedochemical weathering is prevailed on the clayey gross, geochemical weathering is on the gruss and shattering is on the weathered rock strongly. But The fine materials in some sites were formed by argillation of hydrothermal.
The change from underlying parent-rock to weathering procducts led to a residual enrichment in Ig-loss, Al_(2)O_(3), Fe_(2)O_(3) of granitic rocks and SiO_(2), Al_(2)O_(3), Fe_(2)O_(3) of limestones. The depleted majors are SiO_(2). Na_(2)O, K_(2)O, CaO, MgO in granitic rocks and CaO, Is-loss of 1imestones. Among all the depleted majors Na, K, Ca and Mg are undergone the strong leaching.
A substantial amount of Zn, Zr, Ti, Co, Ni, Th, Pb and Ce are concentrated near the surface, but the amount of alkali and alkali earth elements is decreased relatively to fresh rock.
Weathering potential indexes of rocks range from -61.0 to 8.8, and those of limestones do from -43.2 to 79.9, and ratios of weathering products were fresh rock, weathered rock, gruss, clayey gruss in order.
The ratios of Bases/Al_(2)O_(3) were increased by the deep, but the ratio of Fe_(2)O_(3)/Al_(2)O_(3) reduced by the deep. The molar ratios of weathering tracer are represented by CaO/Al_(2)O_(3), HgO/Al_(2)O_(3), Na_(2)O/Al_(2)O_(3), K_(2)O/Al_(2)O_(3), CaO + MgO/Al_(2)O_(3) and Na_(2)O + K_(2)O/Al_(2)O_(3).
By X-ray diffraction, smectite and kaolinite were detected in weathering products of granitic rocks, but it was found that weathering products of granitic rocks consist of mostly quartz, mica and feldspar. The rock forming minerals on the weathered rocks were altered partly into secondary minerals. The weathering of rock forming minerals is progressed by sericite-> chlorite -> smectite -> kaolinite.
The result of factor analysis for granite revealed that factor 1 was geochemical component(23%), factor 2 was heavy metal component(17%), factor 3 was main component(12%) and factor 4 was isotope elements(10%). The factor analysis of granite-gneiss showed factor 1 was physical component(14%), factor 2 was heavy metal component(12%) and factor 3 was rare earth elements(11%). The factor analysis of limestone showed factor 1 was main component(29%), factor 2 was rare earth elements(25%), factor 3 was heavy metal component(13%) and factor 4 was physical component(10%).
The clay mineralogy of many weathering products in study area can be interpreted as that they are the products of several different processes of weathering.
Clayey gruss was occurred under a humid and temperate climate in the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene, while gross was occurred under a cool and dry climate in the Pleistocene.
It can,t be found highly clayey gruss in study areas because highly clayey gruss was mostly stripped away during Pleistocene. Thus there is no highly clayey gruss in study area. The present geomorphological surface is seemed to be etching one or erosion one.