Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: ANAILSON CARLOS DE MEDEIROS

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ANAILSON CARLOS DE MEDEIROS
DATE: 08/07/2026
TIME: 08:30
LOCAL: Google meet
TITLE:

Geoenvironmental Analysis of Karst in the Potiguar Basin, with Emphasis on the Municipality of Felipe Guerra, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil: Relief Sculpturing and Pedogeomorphological Interactions

KEY WORDS:

Limestone; Potiguar Basin; Caatinga.

PAGES: 88
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Geografia
SUMMARY:

Rio Grande do Norte State contains one of the largest reserves of sedimentary calcitic limestone in northeastern Brazil. Within the Potiguar Basin, the municipality of Felipe Guerra (Rio Grande do Norte State) hosts one of the largest limestone reserves and exhibits remarkable karst geodiversity, with high speleological value and significant geotourism potential, although it remains underexplored from both scientific and tourism perspectives. The objective of this study was to conduct a geoenvironmental characterization of karst developed in carbonate rocks within the Potiguar Basin, in the Brazilian semiarid region, using the municipality of Felipe Guerra as the study area. Thematic maps were produced in a GIS environment using QGIS software. A survey of caves within the study area was carried out using data from the Brazilian National Cave Registry maintained by the Brazilian Speleological Society (SBE). According to the 2022 Statistical Yearbook of the Brazilian Speleological Heritage, Rio Grande do Norte has 1,372 registered caves, of which approximately 350 are located in Felipe Guerra, corresponding to 19.4% of all caves cataloged in the state. The geology of the study area is part of the Potiguar Basin and is predominantly represented by the Jandaíra Formation, which consists of carbonate rocks overlying the sandstones of the Açu Formation. The study area is characterized by the widespread occurrence of eutrophic soils with high natural fertility, a condition directly associated with the carbonate parent material. The limestones of the region are predominantly calcitic and exhibit a high degree of purity; consequently, weathering of the parent material supplies elevated levels of nutrients to the soils. The soils identified in the area include Typic Eutrophic Ta Cambisols (CXve), Eutrophic Red-Yellow Oxisols (LVAe), Orthic Rendzic Chernozems (MDo), Eutrophic Ta Fluvisols (RYve), and Orthic Haplic Vertisols (VXo). Three geomorphological units were recognized: (i) the Apodi Plateau; (ii) the Lowered Surface of the Açu River Valley; and (iii) fluvial plains and terraces. The Apodi Plateau predominates in the study area and is closely associated with karst terrains and eutrophic soils. The Lowered Surface of the Açu River Valley occurs in the southern portion of the study area and is associated with rocks of the Açu Formation and fluvic soils. The fluvial plains and terraces are characterized by the predominance of depositional landforms and the occurrence of fluvic soils. The Açu River has promoted intense landscape dissection throughout the area along a southwest–northeast (SW–NE) trend. Significant cave exposures occur along this axis and require further investigation, considering that the current number of caves cataloged within the municipality is likely underestimated.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1997952 - DAVI DO VALE LOPES
Interno - 3289864 - ABNER MONTEIRO NUNES CORDEIRO
Externa à Instituição - RENATA JORDAN HENRIQUES
Externo à Instituição - JOSE JOAO LELIS LEAL DE SOUZA - UFV
Externo à Instituição - LUIZ EDUARDO PANISSET TRAVASSOS - PUCMinas