Cenozoic sedimentary deposits have been recognized in the Paraíba do Sul River middle valley (close to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro border) capping smooth convex hilltops. They were analyzed in detail in hilly compartments bordering the highest relief of the "Serra da Bocaina" and inside the Resende sedimentary Basin, using allo- and morphostratigraphic approaches. The deposits are composed by massive brownish/yellowish clayey sands, deeply weathered, in nonconformity with the crystalline basement or overlying older sedimentary Cenozoic deposits. They were interpreted as a result of sheet wash processes. A minimum Pleistocene age is ensured by the presence of a paleo-horizon A, on their upper part, which is regionally recognized and dated about 10,000 years B.P. Important considerations can be stood out for their interpretation: i) the relationships among geomorphologic settings (different levels of smooth convex hilltops) and the types of soils evolved on them, and ii) their spatial distribution. We propose an origin related to depositional paleosurfaces (pedisediments, in the upper levels) or re-featured relict "rampa" complexes (in the lower level). River and gully incisions were responsible for paleosurfaces and "paleorampas" dissection, generating hills in three main topographic levels, resulting on two types of topographic inversions: intra and inter-amphitheater-like headwaters. However, neotectonic controls and/or the presence of local base levels should be considered on the segmentation and/or the simultaneous development of surfaces at different elevations. Similar features and deposits recorded in the reverse slope of "Serra do Mar" suggests a regional meaning of these paleosurfaces.
*Supported by FUJB-UFRJ and CNPq