Weathering indices as climate proxies. A step forward based on Congo and SW African river muds

Despite the influence of other geological and geomorphological factors, chemical weathering at the Earth's surface is strongly controlled by climate. Thus, a measure of weathering intensity determined from soils or sediments should provide information about the climatic conditions associated with their formation. Available geochemical and mineralogical data on modern fluvial and marine muds from different regions of southern Africa and its...