Recebido em 28/5/09; aceito em 25/11/09; publicado na web em 23/3/10We studied the adsorption of glyphosate (GPS) onto soil mineral particles, using FT-IR and Mössbauer spectroscopy. From IR measurements for samples collected under native vegetation of a forest reserve, bands at 1632 and 1407 cm -1 could be attributed to the interaction between the carboxylic group of GPS and structural Al 3+ and Fe 3+ on the surface of mineral particles; bands at 1075 and 1000 cm -1 were observed only for cultivated soil. Mössbauer spectra for these soils were definitely fitted using a broad central doublet in addition to the magnetic component. This multiple quadrupolar component may be attributed to all non-magnetic Fe 3+ contributions, including that of the GPS/Fe 3+ complex.