Chapada Diamantina contains breathtaking views shaped from
folding. The national park is also the outcome of ancient weathering and
erosion, resulting in beautiful features.
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| A Chapada Diamantina view made possible through folding processes |
Folding is always the result of compression stresses and
once a fold is eroded there are unique landforms created. Chapada Diamantina
expresses an anticline fold within the rock groups of the Paraguaçu
region. Once the anticline fold eroded over time, an anticlinal valley was
produced.
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| Chapada Diamantina's Anticlinal Valley, Pai Inacio, is the result of an anticline fold erosion |
The Paraguaçu region within Chapada Diamantina
consists of sandstones, siltstones, and argillites. These rocks are much
softer, allowing them to be vulnerable to weathering and folding. The folds in
the Paraguaçu region allow water to easily enter the rock’s structure,
which results in the erosion of these rocks.
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| Rock types (sandstones, siltstones, and argillites) within Chapada Diamantina's Paraguacu region |
Ancient rivers and oceanic currents are responsible for the
weathering as well as erosion of the rocks at Chapada Diamantina. Dating the
rocks shows that Chapada Diamantina ages back to Pangaea. The national park is
an ancient site, which has been broken down and shaped through weathering and
erosion. Weathering refers to the breaking down of rock whereas erosion
indicates the transport of weathered material.
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| Chapada Diamantina's, Canyon do Buracao, depicts the weathering and erosion that has crafted a majestic scenery |
The rocks in Chapada Diamantina’s Paraguaçu
region are rich with minerals, allowing a chemical decay process to occur. The
chemical decay process is understood as the chemical alteration or
decomposition of rocks and minerals. The sandstones, siltstones, and argillites
are chemically decayed through dissolution as well as chelation and biological
organic acids. Through dissolution minerals in the rocks are completely
dissolved by water. Epilithic, or rock surface, organisms such as mosses alter
and decompose the mineral rich rocks at Chapada Diamantina through chelation.
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| Fumacinha Fall surrounded by weathered rock created through dissolution and chelation processes, depicted by grooves in the rock walls and mosses atop rock surface |
Overall, Chapada Diamantina’s Paraguaçu region was made possible by
folds created from compression stresses as well as through weathering and
erosion. The results of such processes are anticlinal valleys like Pai Inácio and beautiful
scenery such as Fumacinha Fall and Buracao Fall.
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| Buracao Fall portrays evidence for weathering and erosion of mineral rich rock such as sandstone |
References
http://gosouthamerica.about.com/od/braregnortheast/p/ChapadaDiamant.htm
http://www.atlasofwonders.com/2011/11/chapada-diamantina.html
http://www.biosferabrasil.com/meu_destino.php?cod_destino=4&idioma=i
