The soil types Neossolos Litólicos (Leptosols) and Neossolos Regolíticos (Regosols) have been poorly studied in Brazil, due to their relatively low potential for agricultural use. Consequently the morphological description of Neossolos in the field is also hampered, particularly in terms of contacts between soil, saprolite and rock, and their classification in the Brazilian Soil Classification System. The purpose of this study was: to define morphologically the contact between soil, saprolite and rock in Neossolos; generate data of the saprolite layer […]

This study proposes the use of geotechnologies to support detailed soil surveys, from field surveys to the delimitation of mapping units and later the drawing of the final map. The study area corresponds to a topographic map on a scale of 1:5,000 of the Vale dos Vinhedos, in the Serra Gaúcha region, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The material used consists of planialtimetric data derived from aerial photographs, navigation GPS (Global Positioning System), and GIS (Geographical Information System) […]

The occurrence of concretionary soils in the Central and Northern Brazil is very common. They are found in low areas and on plateau edges, usually constituting dystrophic soils,poor in nutrients. The finding of an eutrophicc concretionary soil in the edge of a plateau in Ouro Verde de Goiás stimulated this research, which had the purpose of verifying the relationship between the soil eutrophic conditions and the underlying lithologic material, the probable source of the exchangeable bases. The pedologic and geochemical […]

This work aimed at creating an educational project with elementary school students from the São Miguel community in Esperança county, state of Paraiba, Brazil. We encouraged the children to think about the importance of soil in their life, and also tried to use a pedologic terminology adapted to the students’ everyday language. The applied methodology followed Paulo Freire’s approach, which extrapolates the school context from the classroom and tries to reach out for as many people in the community as […]

Soil color is widely recognized as a primary property of soil identification. Soil physical, mineralogical, and chemical properties can be derived from assessing soil color. The current framework of soil classification, at the second hierarquical level of the Brazilian System of Classification, requires that the soil colour of the diagnostic B horizon be determined by comparison with the Munsell color charts, or equivalent. This process of classification is extremely subjective and time-consuming, limiting the accuracy, transferability, and usefulness of the […]

The Guaratuba watershed is located at the “Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar” and has its headwaters in the Atlantic plateau. The area has a gneissic bedrock in a parallel hilly relief with high slope gradient, covered by the Atlantic forest consisting mostly of low size trees. The climate is humid tropical with rainfall of 2,000 mm year-1, with no dry season. The predominant soils are Red Yellow Argisol (Typic Kandiudults or Paleudults and Typic or Lithic Hapludults) and Haplic […]

The Serra do Brigadeiro State Park is covered by tropical Atlantic rain forest, as part of the Mantiqueira crystaline range. In the upper areas (above 1.600 m), a type of vegetation with singular floristic composition is found, with high endemism and a number of endangered species, here called “Campos de Altitude”. A Lithosol, a Spodosol (Podzol) and a Cambisol, all associated with “Campos de Altitude”, and a Latosol under rain forest, were sampled. These soils showed high Al saturation, low […]

The formation of soils with argillic horizons was investigated to identify the pedological processes involved in the formation of lamellae and the abrupt textural gradient as well as their implication on the soil physical, chemical and mineralogical attributes. This study was carried out on a sandstone-derived soil toposequence, with profile (P1) occupying the higher part of the landscape (summit), profile (P2) on the backslope, and profile (P3) on the footslope. Soil chemical, mineralogical, micromorphological and particle size distribution analyses were […]