Association between parent materials and soil attributes along different geological environments in western Pará, Brazil

ABSTRACT The expansion of the agricultural frontier into different geological environments in the west of the state of Pará, northern Brazil, makes it necessary to know the influence of the parent material on local soil attributes. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different parent materials on five soil profiles along a lithosequence exposed by the BR-163 highway, which runs from north to south through western Pará. The soils were classified, morphologically described and their main horizons sampled for physical, mineralogical and chemical analyses, including the determination of micronutrients, forms of phosphorus and secondary forms of iron. Multivariate analysis was used to group the different soil-parent material associations. The results demonstrated that the diversity of the parent material was a determinant of soil attributes, and was a conditioning factor for the formation of different clay minerals. Multivariate analysis grouped the soils along the lithosequence into a group formed by profiles derived from basic and intermediate igneous rocks, and a second group consisting of profiles derived from sediments and sedimentary rocks. The profile derived from acidic igneous rock showed greater similarity with the profiles derived from sedimentary materials in comparison to those derived from other igneous rocks.