Volume 31 of Reviews in Mineralogy reviews current thinking on the fundamental processes that
control chemical weathering of silicates including the physical chemistry of reactions at
mineral surfaces the role of experimental design in isolating and quantifying these reactions
and the complex roles that water chemistry hydrology biology and climate play in weathering
of natural systems. The chapters in this volume are arranged to parallel this order of
development from theoretical considerations to experimental studies to characterization of
natural systems. Secondly the book is meant to serve as a reference from which researchers can
readily retrieve quantitative weathering rate data for specific minerals under detailed
experimental controls or for natural weathering conditions. Toward this objective the authors
were encouraged to tabulate available weathering rate data for their specific topics. Finally
this volume serves as a forum in which suggestions and speculations concerning the direction of
future weathering research are discussed.
