Detailed studies of pedologic characterization, as well as of relationships between pedology, geology and geomorphology are important for the comprehension of the soil distribution in a landscape. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pedomorphogeological relationships in the Chapadas Elevadas of the Distrito Federal, by the chemical, physical, mineralogical and geochemical characterization of the soils found in this landscape compartment. Two representative top-sequences of the pedologic distribution were selected in this geomorphologic unit, whose soils were formed from metasedimentary rocks of the Grupo Paranoá, represented by Red Oxisols (Latosols), Yellow-Red Oxisols and Cambisols. The physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of the Oxisols of the two top-sequences were mostly similar. The color variation in the Oxisols was due to the differentiated Fe oxide mineralogy - predominantly hematite in LV and goethite in LVA. However, the ICP-AES analysis showed similar Fe2O3 levels in Oxisols, indicating a material of origin (metasedimentary rock) with similar geochemical composition. The goethite formation in LVA was related to the geomorphological position of development, on the edges of the plateau, where the water table oscillation resulted in the formation of a lithoplintic horizon, with consequently deficient drainage conditions. The Cambisols were chemically similar to Oxisols, due to the source material, consisting of pre-weathered sedimentary rock. The pedomorphogeological relations showed that the soil distribution in the Chapadas Elevadas of the Distrito Federal is linked to the geomorphologic evolution and regional geology.
Soil-landscape relationships; metasedimentary rock; soil mineralogy; pedogeochemistry
