Study predicts bedrock weathering based on topography
Just below Earth’s surface, beneath the roots and soil, is a hard, dense layer of bedrock that is the foundation for all life on land. Cracks and fissures within bedrock provide pathways for air and water, which chemically react to break up rock, ultimately creating soil — an essential ingredient for all terrestrial organisms. This weathering of bedrock is fundamental to life on Earth. Now scientists at MIT, the University of Wyoming, and elsewhere have found a way to predict the spatial extent of bedrock weathering, given a location’s topography. The results are published today in the journal Science. The group sought to estimate the depth to which bedrock is broken up, or fractured. This fractured rock forms the base of a layer scientists have dubbed Earth’s “critical zone,” where the interaction of rock, air, and water allows life to thrive. The group developed a model that estimates the thickness of this critical...