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Characterization of quaternary tufas in the Serra do André Lopes karst, southeastern Brazil

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Abstract

Active tufas in the form of waterfalls and dams occur along drainage channels in the Serra do André Lopes region (State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil) and are associated with the karst system that developed on a dolomitic plateau with a superhumid subtropical climate. The predominance of autogenic waters enables the groundwater to become enriched in calcium carbonate, with low terrigenous sediment content. The tufas that were studied are composed of calcite and have high calcium contents and low magnesium contents. Eroded tufa beds that originate from changes in the position of fluvial channels or river flow rates also occur in this region. In the Sapatú deposit, phytohermal tufas with complex morphologies are arranged in levels constituting various temporally repeated sequences that were deposited between 10,570 and 4,972 cal years BP. In the Frias deposit, distal fluvial deposits of tufa are massive with a relatively greater quantity of terrigenous material and show evidence of dissolution and reprecipitation. The base of this deposit is composed of a cemented breccia dated at 25,390 years BP, which is younger than the overlying tufas (>42,000 years BP). In the two deposits, the levels of terrigenous sediments (quartz sand and lithic pebbles) and terrestrial gastropod shells are interpreted as phases of increased flow rate of rivers during intervals of higher rainfall.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the FAPESP for financially supporting this study (Proc. No 08/08583-7), the Caverna do Diabo State Park, especially Josenei Cara (Park Manager) and Josias Moreira (Environmental Monitor), for providing support, and Mr. Elerian and his employees from Fazenda Ribeirão do Fria for providing support in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Secretaria do Meio Ambiente do Estado de São Paulo, Instituto Geológico, Av. Miguel Stefano, 3900, São Paulo, SP, 04301-903, Brazil

    William Sallun Filho

  2. Geologist Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Lago, 562, São Paulo, SP, 05508-080, Brazil

    Luis Henrique Sapiensa Almeida

  3. Departamento de Geologia Sedimentar e Ambiental, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Lago, 562, São Paulo, SP, 05508-080, Brazil

    Paulo Cesar Boggiani & Ivo Karmann

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  1. William Sallun Filho
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  2. Luis Henrique Sapiensa Almeida
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  3. Paulo Cesar Boggiani
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  4. Ivo Karmann
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Correspondence to William Sallun Filho.

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Sallun Filho, W., Almeida, L.H.S., Boggiani, P.C. et al. Characterization of quaternary tufas in the Serra do André Lopes karst, southeastern Brazil. Carbonates Evaporites 27, 357–373 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-012-0118-1

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