USO DE FLUORESCÊNCIA DE RAIOS X E ESPECTROMETRIA DE RAIOS GAMA NA CARACTERIZAÇÃO DE SOLO: UM ESTUDO DE TOPOSSEQUÊNCIA EM BACIA RURAL UTILIZANDO ANÁLISE DE COMPONENTES PRINCIPAIS

Abstract

Soil is not a homogeneous medium and depends on morphological variables for classification. Physical and chemical properties of the soil plays an important role in the evaluation of different geochemical signatures, soil quality, discrimination of land use type, provenance and soil degradation. The aim of this study was to characterize the elemental composition of the soil and discriminate two agriculture strands. The samples were collected in topographic sequences and depth and were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and Gamma Ray Spectrometry combined with principal component analysis (PCA). The study area was a small rural catchment, located in the Guamiranga city, Brazil. All PCAs provided similar results as both EDXRF and gamma ray spectrometry grouped data on samples that were located on the top, bottom and riparian zone of the basin. The two sides have, in general, the same behavior regardless of croping history. From this study, it was concluded that both techniques can be used to classify soils. The methodologies are promising and may be used to study the dynamics of the soil of the study area.