Silicate weathering and soil formation is critical to global - scale processes since silicates constitute about 83% of the rocks exposed at Earth's land surface. On geological time scales, atmospheric carbon dioxide content has been balanced by the weathering of Ca - Mg - silicate rocks, the burial and weathering of sedimentary organic matter and degassing of volcanoes. A large number of laboratory and fi eld - based studies have been performed to better understand the link between silicate weathering, climate and the long - term carbon cycle. In this chapter we summarize some of this past work and suggest directions for future research. ©2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.