The occupation and territorial dispersion of the first settlers in South America, especially in Brazil, are still little known and require continuous interdisciplinary studies involving anthropology, archeology, and soil science. Under natural limestone shelters, pre-Columbian populations lived for thousands of years, introducing and removing materials of different nature and from different origins, resulting in the development of very peculiar anthropogenic soils, which have been little investigated so far. To deepen the knowledge on this type of soil, we evaluated the physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of the soil of two limestone shelters, Lapa do Boquete and do Malhador, located in the National Park Cavernas do Peruaçu, in northern Minas Gerais, which is considered one of the most important archaeological regions of the country. The samples were subjected to the physical, chemical and mineralogical analyses, total attack, total organic carbon, and fractionation of inorganic P forms. The chemical properties of these soils are consistent with the calcareous nature of the local rock, with high pH values (> 7.7). The cation exchange complex consists almost entirely of exchangeable bases, especially Ca and Mg, reaching V valuesof 100 %. High P contents (131-749 mg dm-3) were also extracted (Mehlich-1). The predominant soil fraction was sand, with a loamy texture in all layers. The presence of oxides with magnetic attraction in all fractions is noteworthy, especially in the sand fraction, mainly associated with the carbonized layers. The soil matrix is made predominantly by 1:1 silicate minerals (kaolinite) associated with 2:1 minerals, mainly illite. According to the results, soil genesis is polycyclic, marked by pronounced climate changes, and associated with distinct periods of human occupation, resulting in the formation of pedogenetic layers that seem unrelated with each other.
archeo-anthrosol; karst region Peruaçu; Minas Gerais; chemical characterization; P fractionation; maghemite
