Characterization and geochemical analysis of soils allows us to understand the processes of migration, dispersal, and concentration of chemical elements in the profile, serving as a basis for correlation of soil properties with the soil classes formed, which allows inferences about soil genesis. The aim of this study was to characterize and interpret the total geochemical composition of major and minor elements in soil classes representative of the northern Pantanal in the Barão de Melgaço subregion, Mato Grosso (Brazil). We selected 20 profiles of the major soil types of the Pantanal and analyzed samples of the A and B (or C) horizons in regard to the concentration of total oxides by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, as well as physical, chemical, and mineralogical characterization. The soils are subdivided into two geochemical types: one composed of sandy to sandy loam soils with relatively high levels of SiO2 and predominance of kaolinite and quartz, with lower levels of trace elements and bases; and another composed of a more clayey soil texture, geochemically heterogeneous, with significant contents of 2:1 clay minerals, Al2O3, Fe and Mn oxides, alkalis, and trace elements.
total oxides; hydromorphic soils; trace elements
