The intensity of chemical decomposition increases with rainfall and temperature, being extreme under equatorial climate, but in tectonically active regions it can be limited by the rapid erosion of surface material when weathering reactions are still incomplete This paper presents mineralogical and geochemical data from weathering mantles exposed on the equatorial mountainous region of Maubisse (East Timor). Two major groups of regoliths, with contrasting Si-content and associated with different parent rocks, are discriminated by non-mobile elements contents. Although partially inherited from parent rock, the geochemistry (e.g., the values obtained for multi-element weathering parameters, such as CIA, CIX, MIAo, WIP, and α-indices of element mobility) and diverse clay assemblages with low kaolinite contents are in general indicative of minor weathering intensities despite wet (>2000 mm of annual rainfall) and warm (annual average temperature ~20 °C) conditions. These compositional data show that weathering reactions are not keeping up with physical denudation in this tectonically active region. Weathering intensity depends on local orographic and lithologic features, being highest on basaltic terranes due to the enrichment in weatherable silicates relative to sedimentary successions. The present research demonstrates the extent to which different factors can control regolith composition in mountainous equatorial regions and how the application of multiple compositional parameters can help to untangle the roles played by those factors.

化学分解的强度随降雨和温度的升高而增加，在赤道气候下是极端的，但在构造活跃的地区，当风化反应仍不完全时，地表物质的快速侵蚀可能会限制其分解。本文提供了暴露于风化地幔的矿物学和地球化学数据位于毛比斯（东帝汶）的赤道山区。硅含量不同且与不同母岩有关的两大类go石被非移动元素含量区分。尽管部分继承自母岩，但其地球化学特征（例如，从多元素风化参数（例如CIA，CIX，MIAo，WIP，元素迁移率和α指数）和高岭石含量低的各种粘土组合，通常表明潮湿条件（年降雨量> 2000 mm）和温暖条件下（年平均温度约20°C）的风化强度较小。这些组成数据表明，在该构造活跃区域中，风化反应没有跟上物理剥蚀的步伐。风化强度取决于当地的地形和岩性，在玄武岩地层中是最高的，这是由于相对于沉积演替而言，可风化硅酸盐的富集。本研究证明了不同因素在多大程度上可以控制山区赤道地区的go石成分，以及如何应用多个成分参数可以帮助弄清这些因素所起的作用。