The structure of an earth-mound field of the Brazilian Savanna

Abstract

The campos de murundus (literally “mound fields”) are intriguing landscapes composed of earth-mounds. These microreliefs occur in transition areas between the plateau and hydromorphic areas of the Brazilian Savanna. Several studies have analyzed the morphology of murundus to understand its genesis. However, the pattern of spatial distribution of these mounds still needs detailed analyses. This study aims to analyze the structural and morphometric characteristics of a mound field and to raise considerations about the genesis of the studied murundus field. The research was conducted using a high-precision unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and images from orbital satellites. Spectral and morphometric data of the study area were manipulated in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment and analyzed using descriptive and clustering techniques. The results show that the mound field presents an ordered distribution of the earth-mounds.