laterite

laterite
lateritic /lat'euh rit"ik/, adj.
/lat"euh ruyt'/, n. Geol.
1. a reddish ferruginous soil formed in tropical regions by the decomposition of the underlying rocks.
2. a similar soil formed of materials deposited by water.
3. any soil produced by the decomposition of the rocks beneath it.
[1800-10; < L later brick, tile + -ITE1]

* * *

Soil layer rich in iron oxide and sometimes aluminum, derived from a wide variety of rocks by leaching.

It forms in tropical and subtropical regions where the climate is humid. Laterite is blackish brown to reddish and has been used as an iron ore and, in Cuba, as a source of nickel.

* * *

      soil layer that is rich in iron oxide and derived from a wide variety of rocks weathering under strongly oxidizing and leaching conditions. It forms in tropical and subtropical regions where the climate is humid. Lateritic soils may contain clay minerals; but they tend to be silica-poor, for silica is leached out by waters passing through the soil. Typical laterite is porous and claylike. It contains the iron oxide minerals goethite, HFeO2; lepidocrocite, FeO(OH); and hematite, Fe2O3. It also contains titanium oxides and hydrated oxides of aluminum, the most common and abundant of which is gibbsite, Al2O3·3H2O. The aluminum-rich representative of laterite is bauxite.

      Laterite is frequently pisolitic (pealike). Exposed surfaces are blackish-brown to reddish and commonly have a slaggy, or scoriaceous, lavalike appearance. Commonly lighter in colour (red, yellow, and brown) where freshly broken, it is generally soft when freshly quarried but hardens on exposure.

      Laterite is not uniquely identified with any particular parent rock, geologic age, single method of formation, climate per se, or geographic location. It is a rock product that is a response to a set of physiochemical conditions, which include an iron-containing parent rock, a well-drained terrain, abundant moisture for hydrolysis during weathering, relatively high oxidation potential, and persistence of these conditions over thousands of years.

      Laterite has been used as an iron ore and, in Cuba, as a source of nickel.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • LATÉRITE — C’est H. Buchanan qui, en 1807, a introduit le terme latérite (de later , brique) pour désigner un matériau rouge, durcissant à l’air et servant, en Inde, à construire des maisons. Ce terme a ensuite servi à qualifier tout matériau rouge se… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Laterite — (from the Latin word later meaning brick or tile) is a surface formation in hot and wet tropical areas which is enriched in iron and aluminium and develops by intensive and long lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. Nearly all kinds… …   Wikipedia

  • Laterite — Latérite Un chemin de terre dans la province de Misiones dans le nord de l Argentine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Laterite — Lat er*ite, n. [L. later brick, tile: cf. F. lat[ e]rite.] (Geol.) An argillaceous sandstone, of a red color, and much seamed; found in India. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • laterite — [lat′ər īt΄] n. [L later, brick, tile (prob. akin to latus, broad: see LATERAL) + ITE1] Geol. a red, residual soil containing large amounts of aluminum and ferric hydroxides, formed by the decomposition of many kinds of rocks, and found esp. in… …   English World dictionary

  • Latérite — Un chemin de terre dans la province de Misiones dans le nord de l Argentine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Laterite — Abbau von Lateritsteinen, Angadipuram, Indien Laterit (von lat. laterus, „Ziegelstein“) ist ein in tropischen Gebieten häufig auftretendes Oberflächenprodukt, das durch intensive und lang anhaltende Verwitterung der zugrunde liegenden Gesteine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • laterite — lateritas statusas T sritis chemija apibrėžtis Uoliena iš Al ir Fe hidroksidų, kvarco ir kt. dūlėjimo zonos mineralų. atitikmenys: angl. laterite rus. латерит …   Chemijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • laterite — lateritas statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Žemyninės dūlėjimo plutos eliuvinės nuogulos – liekaninis arba galutinis uolienų fizinio ir cheminio dūlėjimo produktas, kuriame yra antrinių geležies ir aliuminio oksidų, beveik be… …   Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • laterite — noun Etymology: Latin later brick Date: 1807 a residual product of rock decay that is red in color and has a high content in the oxides of iron and hydroxide of aluminum • lateritic adjective …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”