Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Landscapes and Landforms of Brazil pp 147–156Cite as

Potiguar Basin: Diversity of Landscapes in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: World Geomorphological Landscapes ((WGLC))

Abstract

The Potiguar Basin is located in the equatorial margin of northeastern Brazil and presents several landform types related to a passive margin. These include features related to alluvial, eolian, coastal, and karst processes. In this context, compression that has affected the basin since the Paleogene has caused uplift, which is mainly observed in the central part of the basin and where a tectonic dome forms the highest elevated landform. Tectonic uplift has controlled the origin of several landforms, such as the karst landforms, fault-controlled valleys, the shoreline geometry, elevated sea cliffs, and alluvial-marine plains. The whole basin area now evolves under the influence of climate, eustasy, and neotectonics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Amarante OAC, Silva FJL, Filho LGR (2003) Potencial Eólico do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. COSERN, RN

    Google Scholar 

  • Balsamo F, Bezerra FHR, Vieira MM, Storti F (2013) Structural control on the formation of iron oxide concretions and Liesegang bands in faulted, poorly lithified Cenozoic sandstones of the Paraíba Basin, Brazil. Bull Geol Soc Am (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Barreto AMF, Bezerra FHR, Suguio K, Tatumi SH, Yee M, Paiva R, Munita CS (2002) Late Pleistocene marine terrace deposits in northeastern Brazil: sea-level changes and tectonic implications. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 179:57–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barreto AMF, Suguio K, Yee M, Guannini PCF (2004) Geologia e geomorfologia do quaternário costeiro do rio grande do norte. Geologia USP Série Científica, São Paulo 4:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bezerra FHR, Vita-Finzi C (2000) How active is a passive margin? Paleoseismicity in northeastern Brazil. Geology 28:591–594

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bezerra FHR, Amaro VE, Vita-Finzi C, Saadi A (2001) Pliocene-Quaternary fault control of sedimentation and coastal plain morphology in NE Brazil. J S Am Earth Sci 14:61–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bezerra FHR, Barreto AMF, Suguio K (2003) Holocene sea-level history on the Rio Grande do Norte State coast, Brazil. Mar Geol 196:73–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bezerra FHR, Lima Filho FP, Ferreira AV, Sena ES, Diniz R (2005) Beachrock Fracturing in Brazil. J Coast Res 42:319–332

    Google Scholar 

  • Bezerra FHR, Neves BBB, Correa ACB, Barreto AMF, Suguio K (2008) Late Pleistocene tectonic-geomorphological development within a passive margin—the Cariatá trough, northeastern Brazil. Geomorphology 1:555–582

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bezerra FHR, Amaral RF, Silva FO, Souza MOL, Fonseca VP, Vieira MM, Moura-Lima EM, Aquino MR (2009) Mapeamento geológico regional: folha macau: SB-24-X-D-II e SB-24-X-B-V (1:100.000) CPRM, Natal

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigarella JJ, Andrade GO (1965) Contribution to study área of Brazilian Quaternary. Geol Assoc Am Pap 84:433–452

    Google Scholar 

  • Brito Neves BB, Santos EJ, Van Schmus WR (2000) Tectonic history of the Borborema Province, northeastern Brazil. In: Cordani U, Milani EJ, Thomaz Filho A, Campos DA (eds) Tectonic evolution of South America. Proceedings of the 31st International Geological Congress, Rio de Janeiro, pp 151–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Correa ACB (2001) Dinâmica geomorfológica dos compartimentos elevados do Planalto da Borborema, Nordeste do Brasil. Ph.D. thesis, Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas, UNESP, São Paulo, p 386

    Google Scholar 

  • De Castro DL, Bezerra FHR, Sousa MOL, Fuck RA (2012) Influence of Neoproterozoic tectonic fabric on the origin of the Potiguar Basin, northeastern Brazil and its links with West Africa based on gravity and magnetic data. J Geodyn 54:29–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurgel SPP, Bezerra FHR, Corrêa ACB, Marques FO, Maia RP (2013) Cenozoic uplift and erosion of structural landforms in NE Brazil. Geomorphology 186:68–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King LC (1962) Morphology of the earth. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburg 699

    Google Scholar 

  • Lima MG (2008) A história do Intemperismo na província Borborema Oriental, Nordeste do Brasil: implicações Paleoclimáticas e Tectônicas, Tese de Doutorado, Programa de Pós-graduação em Geodinâmica e Geofísica, PPGG—UFRN, Natal

    Google Scholar 

  • Maia RP (2012) Geomorfologia e Neotectônica no Vale do Rio Apodi-Mossoró NE/Brasil. Tese de Doutorado. Programa de Pós-graduação em Geodinâmica e Geofísica. PPGG—UFRN. Natal

    Google Scholar 

  • Matos RMD (1992) The Northeast Brazilian rift system. Tectonics 11:766–791

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matos RMD (2000) Tectonic evolution of the equatorial South Atlantic. In: Mohriak WU, Talwani M (eds) Atlantic rift sand continental margins, AGU Geophysical Monograph vol 115. pp 331–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Moura-Lima EN, Bezerra FHR, Lima-Filho FP, De Castro DL, Sousa MOL, Fonseca VP, Aquino MR (2011) 3-D geometry and luminescence chronology of Quaternary soft-sediment deformation structures in gravels, northeastern Brazil. Sed Geol 235:160–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nóbrega MA, Sa JM, Bezerra FHR, Hadler Neto JC, Iunes PJ, Oliveira SG, Saenz CAT, Lima-Filho FP (2005) The use of apatite fission track thermochronology to constrain fault movements and sedimentary basin evolution in northeastern Brazil. Radiat Measur, Amsterdam 39:627–633

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson LG, Haug GH (2006) Variability in the mean latitude of the Atlantic Intertropical Covergence Zone as recorded by riverine input of sediments to the Cariaco Basin (Venezuela). Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology 234:97–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rocha de RM, Costa DFS, Lucena Filho MA, Medeiros DHM, Azevedo-Silva AM, Bezerra RM (2012) Brazilian solar saltworks-ancient uses and future possibilities. Aquat Biosyst 8(8):1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Souto Filho JD, Correa ACF, Santos Neto EV, Trindade LAF (2000) Alagamar-Açu petroleum system, onshore Potiguar Basin, Brazil: a numerical approach for secondary migration. In: Mello MR, Katz BJ (eds) Petroleum systems of South Atlantic margins, vol 73. AAPG Memoir, pp 151–158

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Fernando Chiriboga for photographs (Figs. 13.1b–d, 13.5b, and 13.8a–c) and Diógenes Félix (Dept. de Geografia, Centro de Ensino Superior do Seridó, CERES-UFRN) for photography Fig. 13.4. This work was sponsored by the Brazilian Research Council (CNPq), project INCT-ET coordinated by Reinhardt A. Fuck (Universidade de Brasília). We thank the editors for careful review of the first version and Piotr Migoń for the final revision of our manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, 60440-900, Brazil

    Rubson Pinheiro Maia

  2. Department of Geography, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, 59078-970, Brazil

    Francisco Hilário Rêgo Bezerra

Authors
  1. Rubson Pinheiro Maia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Francisco Hilário Rêgo Bezerra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rubson Pinheiro Maia .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Bianca Carvalho Vieira

  2. Department of Geography, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    André Augusto Rodrigues Salgado

  3. Department of Geography, Federal University of Federal, Curitiba, Brazil

    Leonardo José Cordeiro Santos

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Maia, R.P., Bezerra, F.H.R. (2015). Potiguar Basin: Diversity of Landscapes in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin. In: Vieira, B., Salgado, A., Santos, L. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of Brazil. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8023-0_13

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation