laterize
/ˈleɪtəraɪz/
verb
- To convert a material, especially soil or rock, into laterite (a reddish, clay-rich substance) through weathering in tropical climates.
- In tropical regions, heavy rainfall and heat can laterize the soil, turning it hard and brick-like.
- The construction project had to account for the tendency of the local bedrock to laterize when exposed to air.
- Geologists study how certain minerals laterize over thousands of years in humid environments.