From rock decomposition to soil formation: a paradigm shift in the teaching of geology in Antioquia, Colombia (1887-1965)

Abstract

When “Contribución al conocimiento de la geología de la zona central de Antioquia” by Gerardo Botero Arango was published in 1963 in Anales de La Facultad de Minas, knowledge of weathering processes in Antioquia was limited. Although this work introduced an approach to exogenous processes, attention to chemical weathering in the region did not emerge until the thesis of his student, Michel Hermelin Arbaux, in 1965. Chemical weathering, which plays a key role in the formation of materials such as regoliths, saprolites, and soils, as well as in landscape evolution, only gained recognition in Colombia during the second half of the 20th century. Consequently, Michel Hermelin Arbaux's thesis, Estudio preliminar sobre la descomposición de algunas rocas del Batolito Antioqueño, along with subsequent research on chemical weathering, has greatly enriched our understanding of how these processes influence landscape and soil formation in Antioquia and, more broadly, throughout Colombia. IOriginally introduced by geologists but extensively developed by pedologists and geomorphologists, this new knowledge and awareness of surface processes have enhanced our understanding of tropical geomorphology and environmental geology in the country. This article reviews the historical context of earth science education at the then National School of Mines (1887-1940), the importance of exogenous processes in a holistic view of geology, and their impact on applied geology in Antioquia. Encouraged by Gerardo Botero Arango, the study of the “decomposition (sic)” of the rocks of the Antioquian Batholith went beyond a simple examination of chemical weathering; it was a pioneering effort in Antioquia and that underscored the differences in materials, processes, and landforms between tropical and temperate regions.