The Relative Effectiveness of Bacteria as Agents of Chemical Denudation

Data are presented that represent the results of a series of experiments conducted in an attempt to measure in quantitative terms the rôle of bacteria as agents of chemical weathering. Common igneous and sedimentary rocks were subjected to leaching under sterile conditions and under natural conditions, and the increase in salinity of the leaching solutions noted. By comparing the results obtained from all of the samples it was found that the total of the analyzed constituents was 53 per cent greater for the solutions with bacteria than for those leached under sterile conditions.