ABSTRACT
The combined effects of alteration parameters on the rate of alteration can be seen by looking at the water–rock interface as a function of depth and age. Data from L. J. Evans and B. H. Cameron show that the depth of alteration or the distance to the rock–alterite interface on Baffin Island in the far north is a direct function of time. The mineral that is among the most resistant to alteration is the pure silica phase of quartz. Roots, leaves, different substrates exuded from plant roots and biological action of living organisms interacting with the products of rock alteration in the upper part of the altered zone of the earth’s surface produce what is normally called soil. The variation within profiles is due to the different stages of development of the chemical alteration processes at the surface, which is a function of climate, among other factors, especially time.
