Pedra da Boca, Pai Mateus, and Quixadá—Three Possible Key Geoheritage Sites in Northeast Brazil

Abstract

This paper subscribes to the concept of Key Geoheritage Area (KGA) which is currently being developed. Three localities in northeast Brazil are described as possible candidates for KGA. They represent the diversity of erosional granite landscapes found in cratonic areas. Pedra da Boca is an impressive cluster of tall domes rising from the marginal escarpment of Borborema Plateau, with gigantic tafoni. Pai Mateus is located on the Borborema Plateau and consists of a group of low granite elevations (ruware, whalebacks) with residual boulders scattered on their surfaces. These boulders are hollowed out by weathering, providing another very distinctive type of tafoni. Quixadá area is an inselberg landscape, with a few dozens of bedrock hills rising from the plain. Among minor features, karren are ubiquitous. Collectively, these three sites show different types of cratonic granite scenery, a multitude of medium-size and minor geomorphic features, and illustrate pathways for inselberg formation and decay through long-term weathering and erosion. Therefore, they are considered to fit the concept of KGA. In addition, each landscape has considerable aesthetic and scenic values, with great potential for geotourism and geoeducation. Nevertheless, their current conservation status is low and geointerpretation nearly nonexistent and these challenges are to be addressed in the future.

Granite Landscapes, Geodiversity and Geoheritage—Global Context

“…As with boulders, all these features can also be found in other lithologies, but in granite they may attain gigantic dimensions. For example, tafoni in massive granite residuals in the Brazilian North-east are tens of metres deep and high, much exceeding those known from the "type" Mediterranean area [70]. Comprehensive discussion of these various microforms is beyond the scope and limits of this paper, but can be found in reviews such as [25,30,71].…”

“…Striking examples of granite mountainous sceneries exist in the Korean Peninsula, recently explored in terms of their geodiversity and geoheritage value, possibly of global significance [64,107]. Another promising avenue of inquiry might be focused on very large granite domes in near-equatorial cratonic areas, such as Nigeria [33,36] and North-East Brazil [70,108]. Their assemblages are both highly scenic and archetypal, and if modern dating techniques to measure bedrock erosion rates are applied, they may yield important information about landscape evolution over very long timescales.…”

What Do We Know About the Inselbergues of Quixadá and Quixeramobim, Northeast of Brazil?/O Que Sabemos Sobre Os Inselbergues De Quixadá E Quixeramobim, Nordeste Do Brasil?

“…Essas rochas foram afetadas pelo metamorfismo de contato durante a intrusão dos corpos graníticos e não mostram uma foliação metamórfica clara (MAIA et. al., 2015;MAIA, 2020). Também estão presentes de forma mais discreta, em suítes graníticas do Batólito Quixeramobim, como na suíte Moxuré Novo (Geossítio Lagoa do Fofô).…”

Geo-values of the natural monument Markovi Kuli near Prilep

“…Geoheritage is a widely recognized concept within science, outreach and conservation which underpins various activities undertaken at regional, national, and international level focused on protection, better understanding of the Earth history, bridging the gap between science and the public, and the development of sustainable tourism. Two global initiatives implemented under UNESCO, explicitly address the international significance of geoheritage, including UNESCO World Heritage, within which areas may be inscribed on the World Heritage List in recognition of the outstanding universal values of its geology and geomorphology, and UNESCO Global Geoparks, which requires from the aspiring geoparks to have "geological heritage of international significance" (Brilha, 2018;Migoń and Maia, 2020). Both these global undertakings have their limitations, and are unable to provide an adequate framework to protect all key geoheritage sites, thus another initiative is proposed nowadays, to work towards the network of Key Geoheritage Areas (KGAs) which would include localities selected purely on the basis of their significance for geosciences (Ju and Woo 2018;Woo et al 2018).…”