In the middle Rio Doce Valley, with strong seasonal dry-wet alterations, Latosols, Cambisols and Argissols coexist, with greater chemical fertility in the latter. General regional observations indicate a certain mineral reserve in Latosols, which gives them a "cambic" character, as well a "Latosolic" morphology in the Cambisols. In this study, we analyzed the genesis and pedological characteristics of Latosols, associated Cambisols and an Argisol in two toposequences from the Desidério catchment, in the Upper Plateau of the Suaçui Pequeno/Corrente Grande watershed, in the NW of Governador Valadares. A microchemical EDS examination of various types of mineral grain and clay plasma showed that both Latosols and Cambisols have a typical microgranular structure, with a silt/clay ratio below the required limit for a differentiation of Latosols from Cambisols. This was attributed to the intense pedobiological mixture of little weathered rock fragments containing primary minerals and a pre-weathered, latosolic clay plasma. The colluviation process in slopes with rocky outcrop greatly enriches downslope soils, resulting in their "cambic" properties. Even deeper Latosols have some scattered residual grain of K-feldspar and mostly illites, suggesting a relatively high non-exchangeable K-reserve. In the studied latosolic Cambisols (Inceptsols), the mineralogical diversity of the coarse fraction is much higher. Unstable minerals (biotite, amphibole and feldspars) coexist with resistant minerals (titanium minerals and gibbsite), evidencing intense pedoturbation of the colluvial material originated from the rocky outcrops situated upslope. Areas of Cambisols with "Latosols" mineralogy are the preferred sites of low-input subsistence farming, due to higher chemical fertility and depth of the soils.
mar-de-morros soils; polygenetic soils; tropical soil micromophology
