Although geochemical weathering of highlands associated with orogeny can sufficiently remove enough atmospheric CO₂ to cool global climate and possibly initiate glacial epochs, the height of an orogenic belt is not the only major control of geochemical weathering rates. The latitudinal position of an orogenic belt also strongly influences the rate of geochemical weathering. If we assume as a first approximation that precipitation increases with temperature, the silicate weathering rate of an orogenic belt would always be greatest at the warm low latitudes and decrease toward higher latitudes. The actual weathering rate and its weathering gradient with latitude would...