Feições do relevo granítico do refúgio de vida silvestre Pedra da Andorinha, Sobral - Ceará: classificação e potencialidades geoturísticas

Abstract

The granite reliefs always stand out in the landscape, with expressive and quite peculiar forms. This is due to the greater resistance offered by granitic rocks, since the processes that alter them occur practically confined throughout the fractures. Despite this higher resistance, chemical processes also act on their weathering, especially when they are still in subsurface, in the mantle of weathering. Their exposure through erosive processes generates forms that reflect their structures and evidence the processes that have worked in depth, which can also guide surface weathering by creating zones of weakness. The Wildlife Refuge Pedra da Andorinha, located in the municipality of Sobral, State of Ceará - Brazil, presents a range of features that highlight the cited processes. To this end, we consulted bibliographies on Etchplanation Theory and granitic features, mostly international. Inselberg, boulders, block chaos, tors, castle koppies, tafoni, honeycombs, gnammas, karrens, flared slopes, microespeleothemas, split rocks, polygonal cracks are features that express chemical and physical processes, in which the granite body of the Pedra da Andorinha was subject. Given the diversity of geoforms, the study area presents a potential for the development of geotourism activities, so that it contributes to the dissemination of geosciences to society. For this, 4 circuits were proposed, which were mapped, in which they contain specific points that present this range of features and processes, being objects for the environmental interpretation. The elaboration of the trail map was used ArcGis 10.1 software, as well as for the other thematic maps. Form assigned colors to the circuits so express the degree of difficulty. The circuits and their difficulty of accomplishment are, respectively: 1. Circuit City of Stone (green - easy); 2. Sofa Stone circuit (yellow - intermediate); 3. Bear Stone circuit (orange - difficult); and Inselberg Circuit Rock Swallow (red - very difficult). These results aim at a closer relationship between geosciences and society, specifically REVIS visitors. The features detected in the area are didactic, with excellent examples, which facilitate the understanding of the material and processes that form such.