Detailed morphology in alluvial plains and tropical coastal plain hillocks by using geopedologic procedures (Huimanhuillo, Tabasco)

Abstract

The unsustainable use of natural resources has contributed to the deterioration of ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, and degradation of soils in Mexico. In the state of Tabasco, environmental deterioration is evident in the chemical and physical degradation of soils. In this context, geomorphological mapping can contribute to mitigate this problem by generating a geospatial framework for land use planning, and to provide guidance for the use and management of natural resources. However, this information on a micro-regional level is scarce. The aim of this work was to generate a detailed mapping of landforms in plains and hills with agricultural use in the municipality of Huimanguillo, Tabasco, in an area of 29 398 ha. The first phase of the geopedological approach was applied and we generated maps of geomorphological landscapes, relief/modeling, lithology/facies, and landforms performing a morphographic and morphometric attributes analysis. The analysis was complemented with photointerpretation of orthophotomaps and field verification. Forty-nine percent of the study area corresponds to the geomorphologic landscape of plains, containing floodplain reliefs and depressions over alluvial sediments, with the prevalent landforms of river levee, overflow mantle, and decantation basin. These have good surface drainage, except for the basins that stay flooded for six months. The remaining area belongs to the geomorphological landscape of hills, with hillocks and depression reliefs over detritic sediments, with dominant landforms of backslope, summit, interhill depression, and foot slope. New landforms were zoned as inter-hill depression, teardrop, shoulder, and oil well. Depressions in elevated topographic positions stand out for having flooded wetlands for up to eight months. The study provides information that can contribute to the planning of agricultural and forestry land uses, in order to mitigate the degradation of natural resources in tropical plains and hills.