Geoconservation of the Paleontological
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Environmental Earth Sciences (2019) 78:707 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8722-1 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Geoconservation of the paleontological heritage of the geosite of dinosaur footprints (sauropods) in the locality of São Domingos, municipality of Itaguatins, state of Tocantins, Brazil R. F. Lopes1 · C. R. A. Candeiro2 · S. de Valais3 Received: 7 June 2019 / Accepted: 25 November 2019 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract The present study aimed at performing a quantitative evaluation to propose a geoconservation plan to the São Domingos geosite, and, therefore, to contribute with feasible actions, to the preservation of this paleontological heritage. The study area is located in the district in the Itaguatins municipality, northern Tocantins state, Brazil. The studied geosite is characterized by the presence of track fossils. The tracks have been assigned to herbivorous dinosaurs, basal sauropods, which were living in the area during the frst periods of the Cretaceous. The following aspects were quantitatively evaluated: risk of degrada- tion and potential for the educational and touristic use of the area. All these aspects were quantitatively evaluated with the methodology described in the app web GEOSSIT, administered by the Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais. The São Domingos geosite has a high scientifc value, with a national relevance, a moderate potential of educational use, a low potential of tourist use, and a high risk of degradation. The site, with interest and paleontological value, has the potential to be used in all level educational activities at, and it is important it should be used for such activities. The elements of the geosite are currently in an advanced degree of degradation, and urgent measures are required to mitigate the erosive activi- ties that afect the footprint-bearing surfaces and that gradually increase their erosion. Keywords Dinosaur footprints · Geoconservation · Paleontological heritage · Ichnofossils Introduction both isolated footprints and trackways of theropod and orni- thopod dinosaurs, as well as traces and excavations assigned Dinosaur footprints are widely recorded in Brazil rocks, to arthropods and annelids (Leonardi and Carvalho 2002; being the frst report of these ichnofossils at the end of the Silva et al. 2003). nineteenth century (Leonardi 1994). The tracks were discov- After the frst discovery, new footprints were recorded in ered from the Cretaceous Brejo das Freiras and Sousa basins, other Brazilian sites. Leonardi (1980) reported the fnding of located in the northeast region of Brazil. These basins have a paleontological site in the Corda Formation (Lower Cre- taceous), Parnaíba Basin, which contained tracks assigned to herbivorous dinosaurs. The geosite is located on the left * R. F. Lopes margin of the Tocantins river, next to the São Domingos [email protected] village, in the municipality of Itaguatins, Tocantins state. 1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade, Ecologia Initially, the discovery consisted of about seven in situ e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, vertebrate trackways, accounting for 56 footprints, first Campus de Porto Nacional, Rua Três S/N, Porto Nacional, assigned to iguanodontid dinosaurs, and later revised and Tocantins CEP: 77500-000, Brazil re-assigned to sauropod dinosaurs (Leonardi 1994; de Val- 2 Laboratório de Paleontologia e Evolução, Curso de ais et al. 2015; Tavares et al. 2015). Until today, these São Geologia, Campus Aparecida de Goiânia, Universidade Domingos records are the only fossil evidence of vertebrates Federal de Goiás, Rua Mucuri, s/n, Setor Conde dos Arcos, Aparecida de Goiânia, Goiás CEP: 74968755, Brazil from the Corda Formation (de Valais et al. 2015). The ichnofossil geosite of São Domingos (Itaguatins 3 CONICET-Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología (Universidad Nacional de Río Negro-CONICET), municipality, northern Tocantins State) has a signifcant Av. Roca 1242, General Roca (8332), Río Negro, Argentina scientifc value due to its rare record of footprints assigned Vol.:(0123456789)1 3 Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved. 707 Page 2 of 8 Environmental Earth Sciences (2019) 78:707 to sauropod dinosaurs at the beginning of the Early Cre- are several evaluation methods to categorize the values of a taceous, which were distributed in areas nowadays known determinate geosite (Gray 2004; Brilha 2005; Pereira et al. as the North and Northeast regions of Brazil and Western 2007; Reynard 2009; Brilha 2016). Africa. Thus, this Lower Cretaceous outcrop should be the The present study aims to perform a quantitatively evalua- object of geoconservation strategies and maintenance pro- tion to propose a geoconservation plan to the São Domingos grams because the footprints are an important contribution geosite, and, therefore, to contribute with feasible actions, to to the record of the Cretaceous ichnofauna from the South- the preservation of this paleontological heritage. ern Hemisphere, such as the ichnofossils from Sousa, Par- aíba state, Brazil (Leonardi 1994; Leonardi and Carvalho 2002). Study area Although the scientifc importance of the São Domingos tracks has been previously discussed (Leonardi 1980; de The São Domingos geosite is located in the municipality of Valais et al. 2015; Tavares et al. 2015), no scientifc work on Itaguatins, north Tocantins state, Brazil (Fig. 1). The foot- methods for the geoconservation of the São Domingos site prints were found in a private property on the margins of the has been proposed yet, including a systematic inventory and Tocantins river, occupying an area of about 1 km2. quantifcation of the values and vulnerability of the geosite. The São Domingos geosite is located 0.5 km north- The geoconservation refers to a series of strategies and east from the homonymous village (Fig. 2), in a transition techniques that support the conservation of a geological her- area between the Cerrado and the Amazon Forest. The itage by analyzing its values and vulnerabilities (Gray 2011; access to the outcrop is by a small embankment to the foot- Prosser et al. 2013; Rocha et al. 2014). The conservation print-bearing food plain of the Tocantins river. The coor- plans must integrate measures that result in the interpreta- dinates of the outcrop are LAT: 5° 42′ 58″ S, LON: 47° 29′ tion, administration, protection, and public awareness of a 48″ W. given natural heritage (Sharples 2002; Brilha 2005). The stage of inventory is crucial to any geoconservation strategy, as well as the recognition of the vulnerability degree of the Geological setting geosite. These measures prevent from inefective conserva- tion actions concerning valuable geological features and that The Corda Formation outcrops in the studied area. It could lead to its degradation or even destruction (Gray 2011; belongs to the intracratonic sedimentary of the Parnaíba Rocha et al. 2014). Basin, located in northern Brazil (Aguiar 1971), also Nowadays, many studies are carried out about evaluation designated as “Província Sedimentar do Meio Norte” strategies, management, and geoconservation plans (e.g., (Middle-Northern Sedimentary Province) by Góes (1995) Braga 2002; Pereira et al. 2007; Prosser et al. 2013; Mansur and Góes and Coimbra (1996). The Parnaíba Basin occu- et al. 2013a; Rocha et al. 2014; Brilha 2016). Besides, there pies an area of at least 600,000 km2 between the states Fig. 1 Location map of the São Domingos geosite (from de Valais et al. 2015) 1 3 Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved. Environmental Earth Sciences (2019) 78:707 Page 3 of 8 707 Fig. 2 Aerial view of the geosite area of Tocantins, Pará, Maranhão, Ceará, and Bahia (Góes Methodology and Feijó 1994). The unit is usually subdivided into four smaller sub-basins: Parnaíba (Silurian–Triassic), Alper- Methods of quantitative evaluation of the geosite catas (Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous), Grajaú (Cretaceous), and Espigão Mestre (Cretaceous) (Silva et al. 2003). The study of the place of interest and paleontological value The Corda Formation outcrops in the central area of was initiated with the inventory of feldworks and geodiver- the Parnaíba Basin; its rocks cover an area between the sity elements of heritage value, which are still preserved in Parnaíba river and the mouth of the Araguaia river (Agu- the geosite to understand the ichnofossil preservation state. iar 1971). The lithology of this unit is composed of red, Then, the vulnerability of the site has been evaluated, by reddish brown, white, and purple to gray sandstones that analyzing which main natural and anthropogenic factors are range from very fnely grained to fne and medium grained; putting at risk the integrity of these ichnofossils and their besides, they are rich in iron oxides and zeolites. The sedi- degree of erosion. mentary deposits of the Corda Formation are superim- The following aspects were quantitatively evaluated: risk posed and continuous to the Pastos Bons Formation, and of degradation and potential for the educational and touristic discontinuous to the basalts of the Mosquito Formation use of the area. All these aspects were quantitatively evalu- (Aguiar 1971; Silva et al. 2003). ated with the methodology described in the app web GEO- The sedimentary process of the Corda Formation is SSIT (https ://www.cprm.gov.br/geoss it/), administered by appointed as a desertic environment of dry and hot weather the Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais