Morfologia da plataforma continental do município de Luís Correia - Piauí

Abstract

The study area is located on the continental shelf of the municipality of Luís Correia, in the state of Piauí, a region not yet studied, in the context of the Ceará basin, specifically the Piauí-Camocim sub-basin. Due to the lack of studies in this area, it was considered important to carry out a morphological characterization of the continental shelf of Luís Correia. To develop this work, images of the Landsat 8 satellite were used to identify the background shapes. Acquired on the INPE website, images were recorded, filtered and interpreted in ArcGIS 10 and Envi 4.8 software, with geometric correction based on Geocover images. Bathymetric data extracted from the ETOPO-1 database on the NOAA website were also used, which were validated according to the nautical charts of the Hydrographic and Navigation Department (DHN). With the bathymetric data, two profiles were drawn, one on the east coast, the other on the west coast of the area and the elaboration of a slope map. With this, it was possible to identify some structures such as the paleochannels associated with the mouth of the river Parnaíba and Portinho river. By mean of the profiles it was possible to categorize the platform in inner, medium and outer with the continental shelf break zone taking place around 80 km from the continent. It shows a slope smaller steepness than 1º, small variations occurring, being the greater variation in the outer platform and the zone of break of the platform, where the slope changes abruptly to a 8.5º steep. A more detailed bathymetric study is recommended to better characterize the submerged features identified in the area.