A conceptual model for the rapid weathering of tropical ocean islands: A synthesis of geochemistry and geophysics, Kohala Peninsula, Hawaii, USA

Abstract

Much of the world's population lives in developing countries in regions with deeply weathered soils and thick, subjacent saprolites. These areas are widespread in the tropics and compose an important component of the critical zone (CZ). The Hawaiian Islands (USA) make an excellent natural laboratory for examining the tropical CZ, where the bedrock composition (basalt) is nearly uniform but of variable age and where climate (rainfall) varies greatly. The purpose of this study is to develop a model for rapid weathering to deep regolith profiles in tropical ocean islands.