Soil–Slope Relationships: The Reflections of José Pereira de Queiroz Neto

Abstract

The text presents Professor José Pereira de Queiroz Neto’s reflections on the relationships between soils and landforms, based on his article “Relações entre as vertentes e os solos: revisão de conceitos” published in the Revista Brasileira de Geomorfologia, in 2011. The author discusses the interaction between pedogenesis and morphogenesis, proposing that these processes coevolve, in contrast to the classical view that considers them opposing forces. He analyzes these relationships on two spatial scales: regional and local. On the regional scale, he associates soil types with major geomorphological compartments: gentle reliefs are related to well-developed and thick soils, while steep reliefs are associated with shallow and weakly developed soils. On the local scale, Queiroz Neto emphasizes toposequences as lateral successions of genetically related soils along slopes, differing from the concept of catena proposed by Geoffrey Milne in 1936, which results from erosional processes. Based on René Boulet’s doctoral thesis, published in 1978, Queiroz Neto applied the Structural Analysis of the Pedological Cover to understand the genetic relationships among soils, highlighting the importance of topography and water circulation in pedological differentiation. The author also addressed the issue of the autochthony and allochthony of parent materials, arguing that a soil’s material can derive from a pre-existing soil, not necessarily from the underlying rock. Finally, he reaffirmed that soil–landform relationships are dynamic and multiscalar (in time and space), influenced by climatic, tectonic, and geochemical factors, forming a new paradigm of coevolution between morphogenesis and pedogenesis.