Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Geodiversity Index Map of Rio Grande do Norte State, Northeast Brazil: Cartography and Quantitative Assessment

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Geoheritage Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The values of geodiversity, defined through different qualitative and/or quantitative methods, represent a fundamental asset for the development of geoconservation actions. Quantitative methods can be considered those of less subjectivity since their dependence on the evaluator and its scientific knowledge is restricted. In turn, aiming to clearly expose the achieved results, this work used geoprocessing tools, as it has been used in several studies of geodiversity index in Brazil. Rio Grande do Norte, a state located in the extreme northeast and one of the smallest of the country, still does not have an assessment for its entire territory, despite being geologically diverse, with rocks dated back from the Archean until the Holocene. Thus, the objective of this work is to fill this gap in the studies of Brazilian geodiversity. For this, we used the evaluation methodology based on the grid overlay, with 5.5 × 5.5 km mesh, on the available cartographic bases: lithology, mineral occurrences, geomorphology, pedology, and hydrography. The thematic subindexes were added, which resulted in the geodiversity index map for the entire state. It was classified into five classes: very low, low, medium, high, and very high. It was verified that most of the state is in low areas in the geodiversity index and that the high and very high areas are concentrated in specific portions, mainly in three distinct regions: Eastern Seridó, Center-East, and Eastern Coast. It was observed that Rio Grande do Norte state is endowed with high potential regions of geodiversity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Almeida FFM, Hasui Y, Brito Neves BB, Fuck RA (1977) Províncias Estruturais Brasileiras. In: SBG, Simpósio de Geologia do Nordeste, Campina Grande, Anais, vol 8, pp. 363–391

  • Almeida FFM, Hasui Y, Brito Neves BB, Fuck RA (1981) Brazilian structural provinces: an introduction. Earth Sci Rev 17(1–2):1–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-8252(81)90003-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angelim LAA, Nesi JR, Torres HHF, Medeiros VC, Santos CA, Veiga Júnior JP, Mendes VA (2006) Geologia e Recursos Minerais do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte – Escala 1:500.000. Texto explicativo dos mapas geológicos e de recursos minerais do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. CPRM – Serviço Geológico do Brasil, Recife

  • Araújo AM, Pereira DI (2018) A new methodological contribution for the geodiversity assessment: applicability to Ceará state (Brazil). Geoheritage 10:591–605. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-017-0250-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arruda KEC, Barreto AMF (2015) Índice de Geodiversidade do Município de Araripina - PE, Brasil. Est Geol 25(1):103–117 https://doi.org/10.18190/1980-8208/estudosgeologicos.v25n1p103-117

    Google Scholar 

  • Brilha J (2018) Geoheritage: inventories and evaluation. In: Reynard E, Brilha J (eds) Geoheritage: assessment, protection and management. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 69–85

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho Neta ML, Corrêa ACB, Bétard F (2019) Quantificação da Geodiversidade do Geopark UNESCO Araripe. Rev Geoc Nord 5(2):81–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Diniz MTM, Oliveira GP, Maia RP, Ferreira B (2017) Mapeamento geomorfológico do estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Rev Bras Geomorfol 18(4):689–701

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira B (2014) Geodiversidade do Estado de Pernambuco. Thesis, Federal University of Pernambuco

  • Forte JP (2014) Avaliação quantitativa da geodiversidade: desenvolvimento de instrumentos metodológicos com aplicação ao ordenamento do território. University of Minho, Thesis

    Google Scholar 

  • Forte JP, Brilha J, Pereira DI, Nolasco M (2018) Kernel density applied to the quantitative assessment of geodiversity. Geoheritage 10(2):205–217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-018-0282-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IBGE – Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (2005) Baeses e referenciais. https://mapas.ibge.gov.br/bases-e-referenciais/bases-cartograficas/cartas.html. Accessed 28 March 2019

  • IBGE – Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (2019) Brasil em Síntese. https://cidades.ibge.gov.br/. Accessed 28 March 2019

  • Jačková K, Romportl D (2008) The relationship between geodiversity and habitat richness in Sumava National Park and Krivoklatsko Pla (Czech Republic): a quantitative analysis approach. J Land Ecol 1(1):23–38. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10285-012-0003-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jardim de Sá EF, Fuck RA, Macedo MHF, Peucat JJ, Kawashita K, Souza ZS, Bertrand KM (1995) Pre-Brasiliano orogenic evolution in the Seridó belt, NE Brazil: conflicting geochronological and structural data. Braz J Geol 25:307–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Manosso FC, Nóbrega MT (2016) Calculation of geodiversity from landscape units of the Cadeado Range Region in Paraná, Brazil. Geoheritage 8:189–199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-015-0152-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Medeiros VC (2008) Contexto Geológico Regional. In: Medeiros VC, Dantas EP (org) Geologia e Recursos Minerais da Folha Sousa SB.24-Z-A, Escala 1:250.000. CPRM, Brasília, pp 23–25

  • Morais GA (2014) Quantificação da Geodiversidade no Município de Rio Acima - MG. Federal University of Minas Gerais, Specialization monograph

    Google Scholar 

  • Nascimento ST, Castro PTA (2019) Modelagem da geodiversidade do Anticlinal de Mariana, sudeste Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Geol USP, 19(1):117–127. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9095.v19-134534

  • Nascimento MAL, Galindo AC, Medeiros VC (2015) Ediacaran to Cambrian magmatic suites in the Rio Grande do Norte domain, extreme Northeastern Borborema Province (NE of Brazil): current knowledge. J S Am Earth Sci 58:281–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2014.09.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pereira DI, Pereira P, Brilha J, Santos L (2013a) Geodiversity assessment of Paraná state (Brazil): an innovative approach. Environ Manag 52:541–552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-013-0100-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pereira EO, Azevedo UR, Ondicol RP (2013b) Modelagem da geodiversidade na Área de Proteção Ambiental Sul da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte - MG. Geon 21(2):97–101. https://doi.org/10.18285/geonomos.v21i2.277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pessoa Neto OC, Soares UM, Silva JGF, Roesner EH, Florencio CP, Souza CAV (2007) Bacia Potiguar. Bol Geoc Petrobrás 15(2):357–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinto Filho RF (2019) O índice de geodiversidade do estado de Goiás e Distrito Federal: uma avaliação sobre as unidades de conservação. Federal University of Goiás, Thesis

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigues SC, Bento LCM (2018) Cartografia da Geodiversidade: Teorias e Métodos. In: Guerra AJT, Jorge MCO (org) Geoturismo, Geodiversidade, Geoconservação: abordagens geográficas e geológicas. Oficina de Textos, São Paulo, pp 137–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos DS (2014) Avaliação da Geodiversidade do Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, Rio de Janeiro - RJ. Specialization monograph, National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

  • Santos DS, Mansur KL, Gonçalves JB, Arruda ER Jr, Manosso FC (2017) Quantitative assessment of geodiversity and urban growth impacts in Armação dos Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Appl Geogr 85:184–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2017.03.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serrano E, Ruiz-Flaño P (2007) Geodiversity. A theoretical and applied concept. Geogr Helv 62:140–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva MLN (2018) Serviços Ecossistêmicos e Índices de Geodiversidade como Suporte da Geoconservação no Geoparque Seridó. Dissertation, National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

  • Silva JP, Barreto HN (2014) Mapeamento dos índices de geodiversidade da Amazônia Legal maranhense. Geon 5(18):55–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva JP, Nakashima MR (2018) Mapeamento e Análise dos Índices de Geodiversidade do Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR). In: UGB, SINAGEO, Crato, Anais, vol. 12

  • Silva JP, Rodrigues C, Pereira DI (2015) Mapping and analysis of geodiversity indices in the Xingu River Basin, Amazonia, Brazil. Geoheritage 7(4):337–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-014-0134-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva MLN, Nascimento MAL, Mansur KL (2019) Quantitative assessments of geodiversity in the area of the Seridó Geopark Project, Northeast Brazil: grid and centroid analysis. Geoheritage 11:1177–1186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-019-00368-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soares Filho AR (2019) Contribuições do Geoprocessamento para a Avaliação Quantitativa da Geodiversidade: Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca - RJ. Monograph, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

  • Zwolinski Z, Najwer A, Giardino M (2018) Methods for assessing geodiversity. In: Reynard E, Brilha J (eds) Geoheritage: assessment. Protection and Management. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 27–52

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Geoheritage reviewers for their valuable contributions to this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. BSc Geology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

    Marília Cristina Santos Souza Dias, Jéssica Oliveira Domingos, Silas Samuel dos Santos Costa, Larissa Praxedes Granjeiro & Rafael Felipe de Lima Miranda

  2. Department of Geology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

    Marcos Antonio Leite do Nascimento

  3. Graduate Program in Geology, Geosciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Matheus Lisboa Nobre da Silva

Authors
  1. Marília Cristina Santos Souza Dias
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jéssica Oliveira Domingos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Silas Samuel dos Santos Costa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marcos Antonio Leite do Nascimento
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Matheus Lisboa Nobre da Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Larissa Praxedes Granjeiro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Rafael Felipe de Lima Miranda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marília Cristina Santos Souza Dias.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dias, M.C.S.S., Domingos, J.O., dos Santos Costa, S.S. et al. Geodiversity Index Map of Rio Grande do Norte State, Northeast Brazil: Cartography and Quantitative Assessment. Geoheritage 13, 10 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-021-00532-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-021-00532-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation