Ferricretes levels and their relationship with the landscape evolution in Serra do Espinhaço Meridional (MG) in geochronological, mineralogical and geochemical context

Abstract

The ferricretes (ferruginous laterites) tropical landscapes often occur in built planed surfaces at different altitudes, and may have ages ranging from Cretaceous to the Quaternary, and also have their genesis initiated equally or by setting up a sequence of training with elevation relief. Once the hot and humid paleoclimatic conditions induced the development of lateritic systems into stable cratons in tropics, it is feasible the study of landscape's evolution from these materials in geochronological context, to a complete understanding of the mechanisms that plays majors roles in this genesis. Besides that, it is possible to points out climatic events and neotectonic action that occurred at that time and gave rise to the contemporary scenery. The present research aims to study the relationships among ferricretes levels, stratigraphy and geomorphology in Serra do Espinhaço Meridional (MG), supporting the evolution's model of your actual landscape, given the paleoclimatic events older than the Pleistocene. Besides this, research will investigate possible links between pedogenic processes and the old planing surfaces of the South American continent. It is the first to use pedogenic materials originated in preterit in order to study the landscape's of SdEM in a geological time scale much older, which is believed to be examined geo-pedomateriais ages around the Paleogene, or even Cretaceous. In addition, it intended to assess the crystallographic modifications of iron oxides constituent's ferricretes distributed in different levels of geomorphic surfaces. To achieve it, will be performed total chemical analysis, general and specific mineralogy caracterization, micromorphological and microchemistry and radioisotope dating of ferricretes by 40Ar/39Ar and U-Th/He.