Guizhouisoneofthedominatingkarstregions,wherelateriteiswidespread,inChina.Seventy-twolateritesamplesweretakenfromtwelvelateritesectionsinthekarstareasofGuizhouProvince,whicharepossessedoftypicalsubtropicalkarstgeomphologicalandecologicalenvironmentalfeaturesandhaveevolvedcompletelyfromdolostonesandlimestones.Intermsofthemajor,traceandREEdetaforthdsamplesthispaperdiscussesthegeochemicalcharacteristicsoflateriteinthekarstareaswithanattempttodisclosethegeochemicalprocessandevolutionaryruleoflateriteformation.Therehavebeeninvolvedthreeimportantpedogeneticgeochemicalprecessesintheformationoflateriteinthekarstareas:(1)enrichmentofsiliconandaluminumanddepletionofcalciumandmagnesium;(2)enrichmentofironandmanganese;and(3)enrichmentofaluminumanddepletionofsilicon.Duringtheformationandevolutionoflaterite,obviousenrichmentanddifferentiationoftraceelementssuchasCu,Pb,Zn,Ni,Co,Cr,Pb,F,Cl,andAscanbeobserved,butfortherare-earthelements,theirenrichmentisremarkableagainstaweakdifferentiation.TheREEdistributionpatternsinthelateritearesimilartothoseofitsparentalcarbonaterocks.
