Himalayan Geology, Vol. 44 (1), 2023, pp. 21-34, Printed in India
A review synthesis on the proxies to quantify the in-situ weathering in different climate-tectonic settings with special reference to Himalaya
SOHAN KUMAR1,2*, RAFIQUL ISLAM2, PRADEEP SRIVASTAVA1
1Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee, Roorkee – 247667, India
2Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun -248001, India
*Email (Corresponding author): sohanchaudhary154@gmail.com
Abstract: Weathering is one of the major exogenic processes that regulate the shape of landforms and provide soils that sustain agriculture. Weathering in itself is governed by the climate, topography, vegetation and lithology of the area. In the Indian context, studies are meagre; though few studies are documented in Peninsular India, very little work has been done in the Himalayan sector. This is due to the low preservation potential of weathering profiles in the Himalayas due to its dynamic nature and high surficial runoff. Despite this, our initiatives suggest that few regions in the Himalaya are relatively less active and the rocks therein are susceptible to weathering, making it possible to develop in-situ weathering/ soil profiles in those regions. Here, we briefly discuss the proxies followed worldwide to understand the weathering behaviour of rocks and provide perspectives emanated from the work from Peninsular India and the Himalayan region. Published dataset from Himalayan terrains is used and a discussion is made on the climatic and lithological controls on weathering. Differential weathering behaviour of rocks have been observed from different climatic spectrum across the Himalaya.
Keywords : Weathering profile, landforms, weathering ages, surface processes
