This paper presents the results of morphological properties and absolute dating by luminescence and 14C of 28 pedons from Quaternary marine deposits located in three counties along the coast in São Paulo State, Brazil: Bertioga, Cananéia, and Ilha Comprida. The objective was to provide evidence to elucidate the main processes of the genesis of Spodosols. This approach, which is unusual in research concerned with Brazilian Quaternary coastal plains, resulted in the following interpretations: (a) relief, hydrologic conditions and time were the main soil formation factors responsible for the spatial differentiation of the Spodosols in marine terraces; (b) The horizon morphologic features of the most aged and well-drained Spodosols are highly variable and diverse. On the other hand, poorly drained Spodosols (old or young) are more homogeneous; (c) the oldest Spodosols, when well-drained, are in an advanced degradation stage while the poorly drained are well-preserved. This suggests that the genesis and permanence of the Spodosols on the landscape depend on the relief features controlling the hydrologic dynamics; (d) the most aged and developed Spodosols with orstein horizons can be considered lithostratigraphic indicators of marine deposits of the Pleistocene age in the Cananéia Formation; (e) the orstein horizon genesis took place under ancient topographic and hydrologic conditions that differ from the current. This indicates that such Spodosols are polygenetic or paleosols.
dating by luminescence and 14C; Spodosols; podzolization; quaternary marine deposits
