Sedimentary Geology, 55 (1988) 319-322 319

Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., A m s t e r d a m - Printed in The Netherlands

T H E CIW INDEX: A N E W C H E M I C A L I N D E X OF W E A T H E R I N G *

LUC HARNOIS
Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ont. K1S 5B6 (Canada)
(Received July 20, 1987; accepted for publication October 6, 1987)

ABSTRACT

Hamois, L., 1988. The CIW index: A new chemical index of weathering. Sediment. Geol., 55: 319-322.

A new chemical index of weathering that can be applied to m o d e m soils and Precambrian paleosols is
proposed:
CIW = [ A 1 2 0 3 / ( A I 2 0 3 + C a O + N a 2 0 ) ] x 100 (molecular proportions)
The value of this index increases as the degree of weathering increases, and the difference between
CIW index values of the silicate parent rock and soil or sediment reflects the a m o u n t of weathering
experienced by the weathered material.

INTRODUCTION

Weathering indices essentially measure the degree of depletion of mobile compo-

nents relative to immobile components during weathering. Previously proposed
weathering indices, such as the Modified Weathering Potential Index (MWPI;
Reiche, 1943; Vogel, 1975), the Vogt ratio (V; Vogt, 1927; Roaldset, 1972), and the
Weathering Index (WI; Parker, 1970) are complex and involve many variables.
Others are relatively simple [e.g. the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) of Nesbitt
and Young, 1982]. The aim of this paper is to propose a new and simple chemical
index of weathering (CIW) involving molecular proportions of aluminium, calcium
and sodium.

DISCUSSION

Chemical changes during weathering

During the weathering of granite and basalt, Si, Mg, Ca and N a are leached, A1
and Ti remain essentially in the system and accumulate in the residue, whereas iron

* Contribution of the Ottawa-Carleton Centre for Geoscience Studies.

0037-0738/88/$03.50 © 1988 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

320

TABLE 1
Weathering indices (molecular proportions)
(1) CIW [A1203//(A1203 + CaO + Na20)] × 100
=

(2) CIA = [A1203/(AI~O3 + CaO + Na zO + K 20)] x 100

(3) WI = [(2Na20/0.35 ) + (MgO/0.9) + (2K20/0.25) + (CaO/0.7)] x 100
(4) MWPI = [(Na 20 + K 2° + CaO + MgO)/(Na 20 + K 20 + CaO + MgO + SiO2 + A1203 + Fe203)] × 100
(5) V = (Al203 + K20)/(MgO + CaO + Na20)
(l) Chemical Index of Weathering, this paper.
(2) Chemical Index of Alteration (Nesbitt and Young, 1982).
(3) Weathering Index (Parker, 1970).
(4) Weathering Potential Index of Reiche (1943), modified by Vogel (1975).
(5) Vogt ratio (Vogt, 1927; Roaldset, 1972).

and potassium have more complicated behaviours. Because ferric iron is much less
soluble than ferrous iron, the proportion of iron remaining in the residue is partly a
function of the redox conditions of the system. Potassium is generally leached
during soil formation, but most Precambrian paleosols are enriched in K, which is
possibly a diagenetic feature (Retallack, 1986). After entering solution, K ' can be
used in the formation of K-minerals, adsorbed on other clays through ion exchange
(owing to the higher exchange capacity of K +, the clay particles have a stronger
tendency to adsorb and retain K ÷ rather than N a + and Ca 2+; Kronberg et al., 1987)
or removed by fluid migration.
The CIA, WI and M W P I (Table 1) use K 2 0 as a mobile component. This limits
their application to soils and paleosols in which potassium has been actually
leached. In the Vogt ratio, K 2 0 is treated as an immobile component, which is at
variance with the evidence that potassium is commonly leached. Because the M W P I
includes Fe 3÷ and not Fe 2÷, its value is partly a function of the degree of oxidation
of the material and cannot be applied to metamorphosed paleosols.

The proposed index

A weathering index should: (t) include only those elements which have consistent
geochemical behaviour during weathering; (2) be independent of the degree of
oxidation of the weathered material; (3) involve chemical elements commonly
reported in soil analyses; and (4) be as simple as possible and easy to use.
Using these criteria, the proposed CIW index is an improved measure of the
degree of weathering experienced by a material relative to its source rock:

C I W = [A1EOa/(A1203 + CaO + N a 2 0 ) ] X 100

where Al203, CaO, and N a 2 0 are in molecular proportions. In the proposed index,
A1203 is used as the immobile component. CaO and N a 2 0 are the mobile
components because they are readily leached during weathering. This index does not
 321

TABLE 2
CIW index values of selected weathering profiles
Rock type Fresh rock Most
weathered
residue
Precambrian paleosols
1Denison basalt 76 87 90 95 94 96
1Pronto granite 61 61 69 96 95 94
2Dominion Reef granite 59 60 66 93 94 98

Soil profiles
3Tishomingo T1 granite 57 58 70 81 91 92
3Tishomingo T2 granite 63 64 71 72 88 82
4Kiama latite 48 63 81 87 89 85
4Inverell basalt 44 85 89 94 95 99
4Casino basalt 32 32 48 62 82 92
4Guyra basalt 39 42 74 85 86 81
The reader is referred to the original publications for a detailed description of the profiles.
1 Gay and Grandstaff (1980)
2 Holland (1984)
3 Harris and Adams (1966)
4 Craig and Loughrnan (1964).

i n c o r p o r a t e p o t a s s i u m b e c a u s e it m a y b e l e a c h e d or it m a y a c c u m u l a t e in the
r e s i d u e d u r i n g weathering.
T h e C I W i n d e x increases with the degree of d e p l e t i o n of the soil or s e d i m e n t in
N a a n d Ca, relative to A1. T h e difference b e t w e e n C I W i n d e x values for source r o c k
a n d soil or s e d i m e n t reflects the a m o u n t of c h e m i c a l w e a t h e r i n g e x p e r i e n c e d b y the
w e a t h e r e d material.
T h e C I W i n d e x has b e e n a p p l i e d to P r e c a m b r i a n p a l e o s o l s a n d soil profiles
d e v e l o p e d o n b a s a l t i c a n d granitic r o c k s ( T a b l e 2). F o r b o t h , the i n d e x values show
a c o n t i n u a l increase as the degree of w e a t h e r i n g increases (i.e. as the d e p t h f r o m the
t o p of the w e a t h e r e d p r o f i l e decreases f r o m left to right).

CONCLUSIONS

T h e p r o p o s e d C I W i n d e x has b e e n successfully a p p l i e d to a n u m b e r of m o d e r n
soils as well as P r e c a m b r i a n paleosols. It c a n b e a p p l i e d to silicate rocks of felsic to
mafic c o m p o s i t i o n , a n d is s u p e r i o r to o t h e r w e a t h e r i n g indices in t h a t it involves a
restricted n u m b e r of c o m p o n e n t s w h i c h have simple, w e l l - k n o w n a n d c o n s i s t e n t
g e o c h e m i c a l b e h a v i o u r d u r i n g weathering.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

D . F . Sangster, J.M. R i c h a r d s o n a n d R.E. E r n s t r e a d earlier d r a f t s of the

m a n u s c r i p t a n d c o n t r i b u t e d m a n y v a l u a b l e suggestions for its i m p r o v e m e n t .
322

REFERENCES

Craig, D.C. and Loughman, F.C., 1964. Chemical and mineralogical transformations accompanying the
weathering of basic volcanic rocks from New South Wales. Aust. J. Soil Res., 2: 218-234.
Gay, A.L. and Grandstaff, D.E., 1980. Chemistry and mineralogy of Precambrian paleosols at Elliot
Lake, Ontario, Canada. Precamb. Res., 12: 349-373.
Harris, R.C. and Adams, J.A.S., 1966. Geochemical and mineralogical studies on the weathering ~I
granitic rocks. Am. J. Sci., 264: 146-173.
Holland, H.D., 1984. The Chemical Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans. Princeton Univ. Press,
Princeton, N,J., 582 pp.
Kronberg, K.I., Nesbitt, H.W. and Fyfe, W.S.. 1987. Mobilities of alkalies, alkaline earths and halogens-
during weathering. Chem. Geol., 60:41-49.
Nesbitt, H.W. and Young, G.M., 1982. Early Proterozoic climates and plate motions inferred from maio~
element chemistry of lutites. Nature, 299: 715-717.
Parker, A., 1970. An index of weathering for silicate rocks. Geol. Mag., 107: 501-504.
Reiche, P., 1943. Graphic representation of chemical weathering. J. Sediment. Petrol., 13: 58-68.
Retallack, G.J., 1986. The fossil record of soils. In: V.P. Wright (Editor), Paleosols, their Recognition and
Interpretation. Blackwell, London, pp. 1-57.
Roaldset, E., 1972. Mineralogy and geochemistry of Quaternary clays in the Numedal area, southern
Norway. Norsk Geol. Tidsskr., 52: 335-369.
Vogel, D.E., 1975. Precambrian weathering in acid metavolcanic rocks from the Superior Province.
Villebon Township, southcentral Quebec. Can. J. Earth Sci., 12: 2080-2085.
Vogt, T., 1927. Sulitjelmafeltets geologi og petrografi. Nor. Geol. Unders.. 121: 1-560.