Geomorfodiversidade do município de Araruna, Paraíba: caracterização de geomorfossítios por valores científicos e estéticos

Abstract

Understanding the Earth's abiotic diversity, Geodiversity is a recent approach from an academic point of view, with an expansion of studies from the 1990s onwards. Of importance for the elements of the abiotic environment, such as the geomorphological heritage, which is the most focused in this work, and also the other components of the elements of Geodiversity. The evaluation of Geoheritage allows the establishment of policies for the conservation of these elements, or Geoconservation, which promotes the protection of the abiotic environment and the stimulus to Geotourism. The study area is the municipality of Araruna, which is in the micro-region of Curimataú in Paraíba and, in the new delimitation of the IBGE (2017), is in the immediate region of Guarabira. There is a geological diversity in the municipality, covering sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous bases, which present themselves in different geomorphological features, justifying the choice of the place to carry out the work. The objective of this work is to inventory and quantify the geomorphological heritage in Araruna/PB. In addition, a description of how the Geoforms of the municipality emerged, transformed and under which phenomena they are currently subject is contemplated, from a contextualization of its natural history. The work also proposes the elaboration of a map containing the geomorphological subdivision of Araruna. The inventory constitutes the qualitative stage of the evaluation and in this phase, with the field research, from the proposed methodology, the potential Geomorphosites of the municipality are cataloged, comprising the Geoforms according to their processes. Quantification consists of the quantitative stage and, unlike the previous stage, it presents the valuation of the Geomorphosites' attributes, based on scientific and/or aesthetic values, in addition to secondary values: tourism and use and management. Initially, this work characterizes the formation of Geoforms and the processes to which they were submitted and which are still present today. In a later stage, the inventory and quantification procedures are carried out. The most outstanding geomorphological sites were Pedra da Boca State Park, Pedra da Macambira, Macapá Canyon, Macapá Porão, Pedra do Chapéu, Serra Verde Canyon and Peladas, and only this The latter did not reach the necessary quantification to be considered a geomorphosite, therefore, Araruna, among the seven inventoried and quantified sites, has six geomorphosites and one geomorphodiversity site. The importance of improving and expanding the studies that involve the theme of Geodiversity is highlighted, because, from the knowledge of the potentialities, it is possible to establish strategies for the development of the place, without causing damage to the Geoforms, on the contrary, taking advantage of them. Use them to stimulate tourism, generating opportunities for the communities surrounding the potential Geomorphosites, the municipality and the region as a whole.