Oxisol-Ultisol-Entisol sequence developed from clayey material near Tucuruí region, Pará state, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this work was to study the genesis of an Oxisol-Ultisol-Entisol sequence, developed from sediments of the Barreiras Formation in the Tucurui region. The area is located about 65 km from Tucurui. In this area a soil topo sequence was selected, represented by a clayey oxisol in the higher parts, a clayey ultisol in the middle part, ending in an ample valley of sandy botton, with strong hidromorphism. The temperature regimes are isohyperthermic and hyperthermic and the moisture regimes are udic and aquic, in the higher parts and valley botton, respectively. Four profiles were examined and auger samples were taken in eight representative sites. The parent material is represented by clayey sediments from the Barreiras Formation. Chemically, the soils are leached with high aluminum saturation, dominated by kaolinite clay minerals. In the higher parts of the sequence the textura! gradient is similar and the iron oxides are mainly in crystalline forms. Downslope the textural gradient increases and the iron forms are less crystalline. At the valley botton the process of the fine fraction loss (also due to the hydromorphism) is completed remaining a sandy deep mantle. The iron oxides dissapear, remaining the kaolinite in smaller proportion. The soil sequence evolution may probably be developed by the degradation of the latossolic clayey material of the higher portions of the landscape.