The mining process promotes land modification and complete landscape alteration. Those alterations in the surface are shown more obviously in the aesthetical aspect as the visual elements of form, texture, climbs, complexity and color which composes the landscape. As a consequence, mining has impacts on the topography, in the soil, in the vegetation and in the area's drainage, with a direct influence on the enterprise. A quite common problem in the recovery of degraded areas in mineral exploration is the compaction of the soil due to the intense traffic of machines and earth movement. The most common problem of the compaction of a degraded surface is an increase of the mechanical resistance to the penetration of plant roots, a reduction of the aeration, an alteration of the flow of water and heat, also in the availability of water and nutrients. Thus, the present work had the basic objective of diagnosing the compaction of an area degraded by mining in a spacial way, through the mechanical resistance and the penetration, to guide the future subsoiling in the area requiring recovery. Through the studies, it was concluded that the krigagem method in agreement with the space variation allows the division of the area under study into sub areas facilitating a future work to reduce costs and unnecessary interference to the atmosphere. The method was shown to be quite appropriate and it can be used in the diagnosis of compaction in a degraded area by mining, foreseeing the subsoiling requirement. 4149(1997) S313.2: Soil Cone Penetrometer, p. 2. , St Joseph, MIBrussard, L., Van Faassen, H.G., (1984) Effects of Compaction on Soil Biota and Soil Biological Processes. Soil Compaction in Croup Production, pp. 215-235. , London: ElsevierDe Camargo, O.A., Alleaoni, L.R.F., (1997) Compactação do Solo e o Desenvolvimento das Plantas, p. 132. , PiracicabaCambardella, C.A., Moorman, T.B., Novak, I.M., Parkin, T.B., Karlen, D.L., Turco, R.F., Konopka, A.E., Field-scale variability of soil properties in Central Iowa Soils (1994) Soil Science Society of America Journal, 58, pp. 1501-1511Canarache, A., Penetr-Generalized semi-empirical model estimating soil resistance to penetration (1990) Soil Till. Res., 16, pp. 56-70. , AmsterdamCarpanezzi, A.A., Costa, L.G.S., Kageyama, P.Y., Castro, C.F.A., Espécies pioneiras para recuperação de áreas degradadasobservações de laboratóries naturais (1990) Congresso Florestal Brasileiro, 60, pp. 216-221. , Campos do Jordão, AnaisFrança, J.T., (1991) Estudos da Sucessão Secundária em Áreas Contíguas a Mineração de Cassiterita na Floresta Nacional do Jamari-RO, p. 169. , Dissertação de mestrado apresentada a ESALQ/USP. Piracicaba(2002) GS+ Geostattistics for the Environmental Sciences, , http://www.gammadesign.com, 01 JulGuerra, P.A.G., (1988) Geoestatística Operacional, p. 145. , Brasilia: Ministério das Minas e Energia, Departamento de Produção MineralLal, R., Stewart, B.A., Need for land restoration (1992) Advanced in Soil Science, 17, pp. 1-9(1990) Manual de Recuperação de Áreas Degradadas pela Mineração:técnicas de Revegetação., , IBAMA. BrasíliaOdum, E.P., (1993) Ecology and Our Endangered Life-support Systems. 2nd. Ed.(1978) Radambrasil. Folha SC-20, p. 661. , Porto Velho. Rio de Janeiro, Departamento Nacional de Produção Mineral, (Levantamento de Recursos Naturais, 16)Saadi, A., Os sertões que viram desertes (2000) Boletim Informative. Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, 25 (1), pp. 10-17. , Viçosa,MG. 2000Souza, J.A., (1997) Avaliação das Estratégias de Recuperação de Áreas Degradadas pela Mineração de Bauxita em Poços de Caldas (MG), p. 104. , Lavras: Universidade Federal de Lavras, (Tese de Doutorado)Trangmar, B.B., Yost, R.S., Uehara, G., Application of geostatistics to spatial studies of soil properties (1985) Advances in Soil Science, 38, pp. 45-94Warrick, A.W., Nielsen, D.R., Spacial variability of soil physical properties in the field (1980) Application of Soil Physic, 13, pp. 139-144. , Hilled, D. ed. New York: Academic Press