Análise pedogeomorfológica do município de Maribondo – Alagoas

Abstract

Pedogeomorphology, or Geomorphopedology, is the field that studies the relationships between soil and landforms, encompassing conceptual, methodological, operational, and scale-related aspects. It investigates how soils—understood as the product of external agents (such as climate and organisms) acting on rocks and minerals—are conditioned by landscape forms. In this context, pedological cartography is essential for accurately mapping soils, analyzing their spatial distribution and properties, and assessing their agricultural, geotechnical, and environmental potential. In Brazil, however, the high costs and low investment in pedological mapping limit both the updating and the scope of such information. Given this scenario, the adoption of alternative methodologies, such as geoprocessing techniques, has become increasingly necessary, as it enables data refinement and adaptation to different study scales, making the process more accessible and efficient. In the specific case of this research, the defined spatial scope was the municipality of Maribondo, in the state of Alagoas. The methodology applied proposes soil mapping refinement based on slope analysis. Until then, the municipality only had the soil map prepared by the Agroecological Zoning of the State of Alagoas (ZAAL), produced in 2012 at a 1:100,000 scale. That mapping indicated the exclusive presence of Red-Yellow Argisols throughout the area. However, through satellite imagery and fieldwork, the existence of other soil types was confirmed, such as Neosols, Nitosols, and additional variations of Argisols. With the methodological refinement, a new mapping at a 1:60,000 scale was obtained, providing a more detailed representation of the municipality. Although some soils could not yet be properly identified due to their small proportion in the landscape, the results show significant advances in the pedogeomorphological characterization of the region. This broadens the understanding of its pedological diversity and provides more consistent support for future studies as well as for environmental and territorial planning.