Allochthonous material originating from saprolite as a marker of termite activity in Ferralsols.

ABSTRACT: Ferralsols, which are estimated to cover 7.5 millions km² worldwide, are deeply weathered red or yellow soils found in the humid tropics. They are considered as the end of a geochemical sequence of weathering and are dominated by low-activity clay and sesquioxides. Their physical properties are closely related to their strong submillimetric granular structure. We aimed to characterize the 2:1 clay minerals identified in many Ferralsols and to discuss them as a marker of soil-feeding termite activity in Ferralsols. We present results recorded with Brazilian Ferralsols developed under Cerrado native vegetation on a range of parent materials. It was found that the 2:1 minerals vary from weakly weathered muscovite to hydroxy-Al interlayered vermiculite, sometimes associated to a fin

SUBMITTER: Bruand A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9562979 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature