Laterites

Laterites, products of tropical weathering, cover about one third of the world land surfaces. Inventories and interpretations concerning the worldwide distribution of laterites have considerably progressed during the last 50 years: new concepts have been emerging in geomorphology, soil science, petrography and geochemistry, while the nomenclature has been progressively revised (Millot, 1964; King, 1967; Michel, 1973; Nahon, 1976, 1991; Bardossy and Aleva, 1990; Thomas, 1994; Segalen, 1994, 1995; Tardy, 1969, 1993, 1994, 1997; Tardy and Roquin, 1998). …