Caracterização litoestrutural de quartzitos da Serra do Mucuripe – NW do Ceará.

Abstract

The object of study of the present work are the quartzites that compose the Serra do Mucuripe. They are exploited for use as dimension stone and receive the trade name of Perla Santana. In the geotectonic context of the Borborema Province the area is inserted in the Domínio Médio Coreaú (DMC). The objective of this work is to carry out a lithostructural and technological characterization of the quartzites evidencing the arrangement of rocky bodies in the area, evaluating the quality of the rock for application as dimension stone, thereby define the areas that offer the best conditions for the exploitation of the quartzite, reducing the losses, and contribute to the knowledge of the area. For this were performed satellite image analysis reconciled with petrographic and technological studies. The total area was divided into 5 smaller areas, in order to determine the best conditions for a exploitation. The structural significance of the lineaments, extracted from satellite images, was established after field activity. The crests related to ductile tectonics represent the surface expression of a foliation (Sn) with preferential direction NE-SW and with moderate to moderate dives, for both SE and NW. The foliation Sn is related to folding of kilometer dimensions, with a wavelength of approximately 6 km. With the integration and analysis of the results it is concluded that the rock has the necessary requirements for ornamental use, having as strong point its high resistance, being able to be used in harsh environments. It is also concluded that the NE area of the sierra (area 02) is the one that presents the best conditions for the exploitation of the quartzite, because it contains a lower density of lineaments and the quartzite is more pure, with a composition of 94% quartz.