what are the soluble substances produced by weathering?
Rain and ground water is slightly acid, and this reacts with many rocks to produce new solid and soluble weathering products. Limestone and dolomite will dissolve in water and be carried away to the sea, and many other rock-forming minerals contain calcium and other elements that can be removed as ions in solution, like Chloride and sulphate ions, carbonate ions, etc. Metallic ions like Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn etc can also be soluble. Even Quartz (SiO2) is slightly soluble in acid water . Most of these dissolved ions end up in the sea, which is why it is so salty. A few are precipitated at the surface as oxides and carbonates, or are utilized to make shells by marine organisms.
