Can chromite weathering be a source of Cr in soils?

Abstract

Abstract At Niquelândia, Cr extracted from the soil (5,000–9,300 mg.kg -1 ) is likely the result of the Cr-bearing Fe-oxides compared to the Cr-spinels, showing that low Cr-containing minerals present in the dunite (enstatite, olivine and clay minerals) have been completely dissolved. The chromites, accumulated inside soil profiles, have undergone chemical weathering, leading to a Cr enrichment during soil genesis. Traces of dissolution inside the soil chromites suggest that they can be slowly weathered. In this case chromites could represent a diffuse source of available Cr(III) within the soil profiles.