AN ALGORITHM TO MODEL MASS BALANCES QUANTITATIVELY

FLUX is an ANSI standard FORTRAN-77 numerical model for calculating ph ysical and chemical changes resulting from the alteration of rock unde r Earth surface conditions. Long-term losses or gains of elements can be approximated from basic analytical data for the concentration of ma jor elements and a stable constituent (e.g. Zr) contained in both soil and the parent material from which the soil was derived. Assumptions necessary to apply pedogenic formulae, techniques for assessing parent material uniformity and the method of choosing a stable constituent a re discussed. Application of the numerical code is demonstrated using data for an Aqualf derived from weathering in an albite-muscovite-quar tz gneiss system. The FLUX program offers a rapid technique, free of r andom errors for the assessment of element mobility. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.