ABSTRACT Soils preserve numerous proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstruction, including phytoliths, which are highly resistant to weathering and can be preserved over long periods. This study investigates the environmental history and soil formation processes in the highlands of southern Brazil through the analysis of organic soils and phytolith records. Our research focuses on the Serra Geral formation, where soils are deeply influenced by environmental factors such as climate, vegetation, and human activities. Four soil profiles in the states of Santa Catarina […]

ABSTRACT Soils formed in high mountainous regions in southern Brazil are characterized by great accumulation of organic matter (OM) in the surface horizons and variation in the degree of development. We hypothesized that soil properties and genesis are influenced by the interaction of parent materials and climate factors, which differ depending on the location along the altitudinal gradient. The goal of this study was to characterize and classify the soil, evaluate soil distribution, and determine the interactive effects of soil-forming […]

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 […]

A micropedological characterization of eight selected soils from Zona da Mata, MG, Brazil was carried out encompassing an iron-rich Red-Yellow Latosol (“Una” Latosol), two Dark-Red Podzolic, two Reddish Brunizens, one “Terra Roxa”, one Vertisol and one Cambic Red-Yellow Podzolic. Thin sections were analyzed by Optical Microscopy (OM) to identify micropedological features such as: microstructure, porosity, skeleton-grain composition and illuviation cutans. In addition, surface features of undisturbed aggregates were studied at submicroscopic level, using a JEOL 840 Scanning Electron Microscope, in […]