The objective of the study was to characterize and classify four Plintosols (Ultisols and Entisols with plinthite) in Pinheiro county, Maranhão state (Brazil), to validate the new classes proposed in the Brazilian System of Soil Classification (SiBCS). Four pedons were selected in different hill slope positions: shoulder, backslope, footslope, and toeslope. The parent material consisted of ferruginous sandstone of the Itapecuru Formation and colluvial and alluvial sediments. Soil profiles were morphologically described and each horizon analyzed for physical, chemical and mineralogical properties. According to the SiBCS, the three soil profiles along the slope were classified as Plintossolos Argilúvicos (Plinthudults), and the profile in the transition to lowland as Plintossolo Háplico (Entisols). Three profiles had a concretionary character and were classified as petroplinthic in the subgroup level. All soils had an alitic character, indicating that the soil formation environment in Maranhão state favors the preservation of clay minerals with high activity associated with high soil acidity. The soil classes introduced in the SiBCS to complement the Plintosols order proved adequate to classify the profiles and take into account the variations related to the pedogenetic environment.
plinthite; alitic character; SiBCS; soil taxonomy
