Registration of the geological and geomorphological elements from the Colônia Crater to establish a strategy of management and environmental preservation

• Grant number: 11/50987-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Agreement: Condephaat
• Principal Investigator: Victor Velázquez Fernandez
• Grantee: Victor Velázquez Fernandez
• Host Institution: Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades (EACH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Colônia Crater, located at 40 km of the São Paulo city centre, is a prominent geomorphological feature and has been focus of several studies of scientific interest, principally, by the its intriguing circular shape, regarded as the result of impact cratering. The geological units that compose the crater make it a natural laboratory with immense source of information for more diverse types of studies, in special, for the geology, biology, paleoclimatology and paleoecology. There are only 178 confirmed impact craters around the world, being Ries Crater, Germany, and the Colônia Crater are the two unique habited craters. Due to the lack of attention received by the representatives of the public administration and because it is an important natural heritage of extraordinary scientific, educational and touristic potentiality, it was deemed appropriate to carry out a project with a holistic approach, with the main objective of elaborating a scientific and technical document that serves as basis for the implementation of an action plan of effective management, focusing on the conservation and sustainable use of Colônia Crater. All information obtained, including petrographical and geochemical data from rocks and sediments, carbon-14 dating, geomorphological characterization from remote sensing products and digital terrain model and geophysical data, besides the elaboration of thematic maps, should be stored in a single geo-referenced data base in order to facilitate and expedite their access for a permanent update. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

VELAZQUEZ, VICTOR F.; COLONNA, JULIANNA; MARTINS SALLUN, ALETHEA E.; AZEVEDO SOBRINHO, JOSE MARIA; SALLUN FILHO, WILLIAM; PAIVA, JR., PAULO C. A.. The Colonia Impact Crater: Geological Heritage and Natural Patrimony in the Southern Metropolitan Region of Sao Paulo, Brazil. GEOHERITAGE, v. 6, n. 4, p. 283-290, DEC 2014. (11/50987-0)

VELAZQUEZ, VICTOR F.; GOMES, CELSO B.; MANSUETO, MARCOS; DE MORAES, LEONARDO A. S.; SOBRINHO, JOSE MARIA A.; LUCENA, RODRIGO F.; SALLUN, ALETHEA E. M.; SALLUN FILHO, WILLIAM. Morphological aspects, textural features and chemical composition of spherules from the Colonia impact crater, Sao Paulo, Brazil. SOLID EARTH SCIENCES, v. 6, n. 1, p. 27-36, MAR 15 2021. (11/50987-0)