Meaning & use
laterization
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The geological process by which tropical soils are heavily leached of silica and other soluble minerals, leaving behind iron and aluminum oxides that form laterite.
See it in a sentence
Intense laterization in the region has produced iron-rich red soils that are poor for farming.
Scientists study laterization to understand how tropical rainfall shapes soil chemistry over millennia.
A note on using this word
Also spelled 'lateritization,' the process is named after 'laterite,' from the Latin 'later,' meaning brick, since the hardened soil was historically cut into bricks.
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