1. The process by which soil materials are removed from the upper layers of soil and transported downward or laterally by water percolating through the soil.
Usage: geology; soil science

Examples

• Eluviation removes soluble minerals from the topsoil, leaving behind less fertile material.
• Heavy rainfall accelerates eluviation in sandy soils.
• The process of eluviation is responsible for the formation of distinct soil horizons.
• Geologists study eluviation to understand how soil profiles develop over time.
• Eluviation and illuviation work together to redistribute nutrients in the soil column.