The East African Rift System (EARS) has played a central role in our understanding of human origins and vertebrate evolution in the late Cenozoic of Africa. However, the distribution of fossil sites along 3 the rift is highly biased toward its northern extent, and the types of paleoenvironments are primarily restricted to fluvial and lacustrine settings. Here we report the discovery of the first fossil sites from the Urema Rift at Gorongosa National Park (central Mozambique) at the southern end of the EARS, and reconstruct environmental contexts of the fossils. In situ and surface fossils from the lower member of the Mazamba Formation, estimated to be of Miocene age, comprise mammals, reptiles, fishes, invertebrates, palms, and dicot trees. Fossil and geological evidence indicates a coastal-plain paleoenvironmental mosaic of riverine forest/woodland and estuarine habitats that represent the first coastal biomes identified in the Neogene EARS context. Receiving continental sediment from source terranes west of today's Urema Graben, estuarine sequences accumulated prior to rifting as compound incised-valley fills on a low-gradient coastal plain following transgression. Modern environmental analogues are extremely productive habitats for marine and terrestrial fauna, including primates. Thus, our discoveries raise the possibility that the Miocene coastal landscapes of Gorongosa were ecologically-favorable habitats for primates, providing relatively stable maritime climate and ecosystem conditions, year-round freshwater availability, and food both from terrestrial and marine sources. The emerging fossil record from Gorongosa is beginning to fill an important gap in the paleobiogeography of Africa as no fossil sites of Neogene age have previously been reported from the southernmost part of the EARS. Furthermore, this unique window into past continentalmargin ecosystems of central Mozambique may allow us to test key paleobiogeographic hypotheses during critical periods of primate evolution.

RESUMOO abastecimento humano exige água com qualidade. Nesse sentido, o presente artigo teve por objetivo relacionar aspectos físicos e de uso do solo com os parâmetros aquáticos de cor e turbidez do Rio Taquaral, São Mateus do Sul. Após a caracterização da área, foram implantados ao longo do rio, quatro pontos de observação de dados pluviométricos e de coleta de água. As coletas foram submetidas à análise no laboratório da SANEPAR. Os resultados indicaram que na média, os índices de cor da água se apresentaram acima dos padrões da Resolução CONAMA 357/05. Já os de turbidez estavam dentro dos padrões dessa resolução. Estes se apresentaram mais elevados no alto curso, onde se pratica agricultura temporária e mecanizada. Palavras-Chave: Bacia hidrográfica; Cor; Turbidez; Uso do solo.

ResumoAs trilhas interpretativas têm se destacado no contexto do turismo como uma ferramenta valiosa na conservação do patrimônio natural. Uma modalidade de turismo que tem ganhado cada vez mais adeptos é o Geoturismo. Este trabalho pretende mostrar a importância das trilhas como um instrumento de geoturismo e geoconservação, quando equipadas com os meios interpretativos adequados. O Salto São Jorge, no município de Ponta Grossa -PR destaca-se devido à exposição do contato geológico raro, constituído por rochas da Formação Furnas, Formação Iapó e Complexo Granítico Cunhaporanga. O geossítio ainda apresenta atrativos arqueológicos e históricos, e é muito procurado para a prática de atividades de lazer e esporte. A forma com que a atividade turística tem se realizado (muitas vezes caracterizada como turismo de massa) vem causando impactos ao patrimônio natural, inclusive com ameaças à geodiversidade. Para reverter tal situação e colaborar para que os visitantes possam obter, além da apreciação estética, conhecimentos geológicos sobre o ambiente, são propostos alguns pontos de interpretação no percurso da trilha e melhorias da mesma.

O presente artigo tem por objetivo caracterizar os indicadores geomorfológicos na bacia hidrográfica do rio Verde, localizado no município de Ponta Grossa, Campos Gerais do Paraná. Essa bacia faz parte da borda oriental da Bacia Sedimentar do Paraná, no setor mais afetado pelo Arco de Ponta Grossa, cujo relevo decorrente pode limitar os usos do solo, devido a presença de cânions. Neste trabalho foram utilizadas as cartas topográficas da DSG, em escala 1:50.000, e as imagens da missão SRTM, para obtenção dos índices de declividade, formas, orientações das vertentes e lineamentos estruturais. Os resultados apontaram que, observado em campo e imagens orbitais: a drenagem tem forte controle tecto-litoestrutural, advindo do Arco de Ponta Grossa, representado pelos vales fluviais em V; a forma da bacia hidrográfica - sentido NE-SW, o canal principal encaixado num dos lineamentos de mesma orientação. As vertentes com formas convexas curtas, divergente-retilínea apresentando orientação N/NW, mas com declividades predominantemente nas classes plano a suave ondulado. Tais características são, tanto reflexo da influência tecto-litoestrutural, quanto condicionantes da presença de processos erosivos do tipo lineares: ravinas e sulcos.

The Miocene is a key time in the evolution of African mammals and their ecosystems witnessing the origin of the African apes and the isolation of eastern coastal forests through an expanding biogeographic arid corridor. Until recently, however, Miocene sites from the southeastern regions of the continent were unknown. Here we report discovery of the first Miocene fossil teeth from the shoulders of the Urema Rift in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, at the southern East African Rift System. We provide the first 1) radiometric age determinations of the fossiliferous Mazamba Formation, 2) reconstructions of past vegetation in the region based on pedogenic carbonates and fossil wood, and 3) description of fossil teeth from the southern rift. Gorongosa is unique in the East African Rift System in combining marine invertebrates, marine vertebrates, terrestrial mammals, and fossil woods in coastal paleoenvironments. The Gorongosa fossil sites offer the first evidence of persistent woodlands and forests on the coastal margins of southeastern Africa during the Miocene, and an exceptional assemblage of fossil vertebrates including new species. Further work will allow the testing of hypotheses positing the formation of a northeast-southwest arid corridor isolating species on the eastern coastal forests from those elsewhere in Africa.BriefThe Miocene is a key time in the evolution of African mammals and their ecosystems encompassing hominine origins and the establishment of an arid corridor that isolated eastern Africa’s coastal forests. Until now, however, Miocene sites from southeastern Africa have been unknown. We report the discovery of the first Miocene fossil sites from Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, and show that these sites formed in coastal settings. We provide radiometric ages for the fossiliferous sediments, reconstructions of past vegetation based on stable isotopes and fossil wood, and a description of the first fossil teeth from the region. Gorongosa is the only paleontological site in the East African Rift that combines fossil woods, marine invertebrates, marine vertebrates, and terrestrial mammals. Gorongosa offers the first evidence of persistent woodlands and forests on the coastal margins of southeastern Africa during the Miocene.

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In this paper, we proposed a method for mapping the suitability of land for intensive anthropogenic use in the Maranhão River Basin, in the state of Goiás, Brazil. We analyzed existing 1:250,000 maps of the local geology, drainage system topography and geomorphological features. We generated new information based on our analysis, including a compilation of basic morphometric data and a map of the slopes in the basin, which we used to construct the geomorphological suitability map of the watershed. Our results indicate that 40% of the study area can support intensive anthropogenic use; the remaining 60% of the basin area is categorized as "fragile" regarding the expansion of intensive land use.

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