A soft, clay-rich, thoroughly decomposed rock formed in place by chemical weathering of igneous or metamorphic rock. Forms in humid, tropical, or subtropical climates.
weathered rock depleted as part of the lateritisation process but with some distinguishable features/minerals of the original rock
weathered bedrock in which fine fabrics, originally expressed by the arrangement of the primary mineral constituents of the rock (e.g. crystals, grains) are retained. Compared to saprock, saprolitic material has more than 20% of weatherable minerals altered. Saprolite may be extended to include weathered rocks in which only larger structures such as bedding, schistosity, veining or lithological contacts are preserved. The presence of saprolite implies that weathering has been essentially isovolumetric.
a deposit of clay and disintegrating rock that is found in its original place
A layer of rotten rock created by chemical weathering in warm, wet climates.
A soft, earthy, clay rich thoroughly decomposed rock formed in place by chemical weathering of igneous and metamorphic rocks.
soft, partly decomposed rock rich in clay, and remaining in its original place. [AHDOS
Saprolite (from Greek σαπÏος =putrid, + lite) is the name for a chemically weathered rock. It is mostly soft or friable and commonly retains the structure of the parent rock since it is not transported, but autochthonously formed in place.