Landscape and soil evolution control by lateritic heritages and hydrostatic base level in the intertropical rain forest zone

Analysis of landscapes and soil covers from the outer to the inner part of a 75kmX60km watershed in the South-Cameroon rainforest zone, characterized by important remnants of inherited ferricretes and stable hydrostatic base levels, indicates that the development of present landforms has not involved significant erosion by slope retreat because of the relative preservation of downslope residual ferricrete and that soil covers have vertically decayed under in situ geochemical process.