Abstract
Current data suggest that continents are denuded by rivers at a rate of ~23 Gt yr−1, most of which (~83 %) is accounted for by solid debris and the remaining fraction by dissolved solids. Aeolian dust and ice-rafted rock fragments contribute a less-known proportion. This material transfer does not necessarily reflect the intensity and rate of weathering occurring on the continents because a significant fraction is supplied by outcropping sedimentary rocks, thus intervening in the complex rock cycle. Continental denudation must, therefore, be considered in the context of the composite dynamics of the critical zone, which is significantly affected by anthropogenic interactions.
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Depetris, P.J., Pasquini, A.I., Lecomte, K.L. (2014). Conclusion. In: Weathering and the Riverine Denudation of Continents. SpringerBriefs in Earth System Sciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7717-0_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7717-0_7
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