Journal of Coastal Research SI 39 311 - 315 ICS 2004 (Proceedings) Brazil ISSN 0749-0208

HORN FILHO, N.O. and DIEHL, F.L., 2006. Santa Catarina Coastal Province, Brazil: Geology, geomorphologyand paleogeography. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 39 (Proceedings of the 8th International CoastalSymposium),311 - 315. Itajaí, SC, Brazil, ISSN 0749-0208.

The coastal province is described as a lowland, shallow region (up to 50-60m in high and 150-200m in depth),comprised predominantly of sedimentary terrains and secondarily of crystalline rocks. The coastalprovince is comprised of two main units: the basement and the and oceanic marginal basins, locatedto the south and north of the coastal province, respectively. The southern basement includes sedimentary and basalticrocks, while the central basement is predominantly granitic and the northern basement consists of granitic andmetamorphic lithotypes. The Pelotas and Santos basins are comprised of two interdigitated sectors: the emergedsector, above , and the submerged sector, below , represented by the coastal plain and the continental shelf,respectively. The holocenic sediment which covers the continental shelf includes three facies: the sandy faciestypical of the inner shelf; the sand-silt-clay facies and the muddy facies which cuts through the sandy facies along thebights. This shelf also showed five marine terraces at depths of 20-25m, 32-45m, 50m, 60-75m and 80-90m. Thecoastal plain includes deposits which are characteristic of two depositional systems: the continental system and thetransitional system. The continental system is associated with the hillsides of the highlands, with coluvial, alluvialfan and fluvial deposits of the undifferentiated Quaternary period (±2my BP to the present). The coastal system,predominantly of the lagoonal-barrier type, associated changes in sea level, includes quaternary (pleistocenic andholocenic; 120ka - 18ka and 5.1ka-present) deposits of marine, eolic, lagoon and paludial environments, mainly inthe forms of terraces, dunes, beach ridges and plains.

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Coastal geology, sedimentology, geomorphology.ADDITIONALINDEX WORDS:

ABSTRACT

Santa Catarina Coastal Province, Brazil: Geology, Geomorphology andPaleogeography

N. O. Horn Filho† and F. L. Diehl‡

INTRODUCTION

Coastal plains have been intensively occupied in recent yearsin the most varied regions of the world. The decharacterizationof their original deposits has contributed to the carrying out ofspecific geological studies on this environment. The mainobjective of this work is to present the geology of the coastalprovince of this state, through a basic investigation of theexisting literature. The coastal province of Santa Catarina hasbeen described in previous articles, notably H &D (1994 and 2001) and H (2003).

The coastal province is located in the southregion and southeastern and southern sectors of the braziliancoast, between latitudes 25°57'41" and 29°23'55" south. It ishome to 36% of the State's population, who live along the538km of coastline adjacent to the south Atlantic ocean (Figure1). The total area of the province is 66.212km², including anemerged sector, the coastal plain and the beach system, an areaof 4.212km² (4.35% of the surface area of the State) and in thesubmerged sector, the continental shelf, which is 62.000km² inarea, characterized by the sedimentation of the and

marine marginal basins in the South of Brazil.

M (1988) subdivide the coastlineinto three distinct sectors: North, Central and South. The mostup-to-date division of the coastal plain wasproposed by D and H (1996), who define eightgeological-geomorphological sectors: (I) North, (II) Northeast,(III) Central-North, (IV) Central, (V) Central-South, (VI)Southeast, (VII) South and (VIII) Meridional.

In each sector, two morphological domains werehighlighted: (1) the highlands, with altitudes higher than 40mand represented by the Serra do Mar mountain range to thenorth; the mountain ranges of East in theNortheast, Central and Southeast sectors; and themountain range to the South and (2) the lowlands, which

dominate the coastal plain, with average altitudes of up to 10mfor the holocenic deposits and up to 24-30m for the pleistocenicdeposits.

The main features in the North sector (86km), similar to thecoast of Paraná, are the Serra do Mar mountain range, the islandof São Francisco do Sul and the bay of Babitonga, surroundedby extensive woods and mangroves. The Northeast sector(70km) is marked by the present-day influence of the Itajaí-Açuriver on the coastal sedimentation. In the Central-North sector(81km), the main features are the Porto Belo peninsula with itsORN FILHO

IEHL

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ORN FILHO

IEHL ORN FILHO

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RESULTS

Geological-geomorphologicalCompartmentation

†Department of Geosciences, CFH, UFSC,Florianópolis, 88040-900, SC, Brazilhorn@cfh.ufsc.br

‡Laboratory of Geological Oceanography, CTTMar,UNIVALI, Itajaí, 88302-202, SC, Brazilfernando.diehl@cttmar.univali.br

Figure 1. Localization map.

Journal of Coastal Research Special Issue 39, 2006,

beaches, and the muddy sediments of the Tijucas river and bay.The Central sector, the largest in the State (118km), is

characterized by the presence of the island of Santa Catarinaand its North and South bays. In the Central-South, Southeastand South sectors (63km, 26km and 25km, respectively) are theSanto Antônio-Imaruí-Laguna fluvial-deltaic lagoonalcomplex, the pleistocenic, holocenic and recent dune fields, andthe sambaquis (“shell-mounds”) archeological sites, which arevisible above the surface of the ground.

The Meridional sector (69km) is marked by the presence ofthe lagoonal-barrier, pleistocenic and holocenic system, whichextends in the direction of Rio Grande do Sul.

Framework

The Continental Shelf

The coastal province is described as a lowland, shallowregion (up to 50-60m high and 150-200m in depth), comprisedpredominantly of sedimentary terrains with a secondary terrainof crystalline rocks. The Santa Catarina coastal province iscomprised of two main units: the basement and Pelotas andSantos oceanic marginal basins, located to the south and northof the coastal province, respectively.

The basement characterizes the geologic-structuralframework of the central and central-west regions of the South-American Shelf, comprised in the State of Santa Catarina by

rocks which represent the geological provinces of theCatarinense Shield, the Paraná Basin and the Highlands of theSerra Geral mountain range.

The sedimentary basins of Santos and Pelotas represent thesouthern brazilian continental margin in the coastal province ofSanta Catarina. They are delimited by the Florianópolis shelf,close to the cape of Santa Marta (28°27'S). To the south, thePelotas basin unfolds and to the north lies the Santos basin. Thisbasin occupies a total area of 350,000km², with a significantsediment thickness of up to 10-12km. The area covered by theSantos basin in the Santa Catarina province is almost twice thatof the Pelotas basin, which occupies a total area of 70,000km²,in which almost 8km of continental, transitional and marineclastic sediments are accumulated.

The basins are comprised of two interdigitated sectors: thesubmerged sector, represented by the continental shelf, and theemerged sector, represented by the coastal plain.

The continental shelf has average widths of 130km;declivities of 1:500 and 1:700 in narrow regions and 1:1.000 to1:350 in large regions; inclinations of between 0.5° and 0.7° anda shelf break with depths of between 120m and 180m. Fivetopographical levels were observed, submerged at depths of 20-

Horn and Diehl

Figure 2. Planialtimetric maps of the extension of the Santa Catarina coastal plain (D and H , 1996).IEHL ORN FILHO

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25m, 32-45m, 50m, 60-75m and 80-90m, corresponding topaleoterraces of sea level stabilization during the Quaternaryperiod. Sandy facies are predominant on the inner shelf, whileon the medium shelf, fine sediments associated with sands wereobserved and on the outer shelf, a mixture of coarse sediments(sands) and fine sediments (silt and clay).

The coastal plain is defined as a low gradient plain borderinglarge bodies of water, commonly characterizing strips ofrecently emersed land, comprised of marine sediments andfluvial-marine environments, generally from the Quaternaryperiod (S , 1992).

Various works have sought to represent the deposits of theSanta Catarina coastal plain: DNPM (1974), DNPM (1986) andM (1988). At a regional level: H (1997)in the region of São Francisco do Sul; H(1996), A . (2000), C (2000) andM (2003) on the Central-North coast; D (1981),C and A (1993) on the island of SantaCatarina; C (1995), in the southeast of the State;D (1996) on the Porto Belo peninsula; H

(1999) contained in the sheet for Imbituba; and(1993), D (1995) and C (1997) in the south ofSanta Catarina.

The Santa Catarina coastal plain consists of the basement andthe deposits of the continental and transitional (coastal)depositional systems. Owing to their geographical position, thebasement rocks play an important role in the previous andcurrent formation of the coastal deposits in the form of beaches,marine and lagoonal terraces, dunes and regressive sand ridges.In addition, due to the long-term effects of the weather anderosive processes, sedimentary material is produced over a longperiod, to be reworked in pluvial, fluvial, marine, lagoonal andeolic conditions.

The continental depositional system of the continentaldeposits associated with the basement rocks on the slopes of thehighlands include the elluvial and colluvial, the alluvial fansand the alluvial deposits. They are comprised of terrigenoussediments, non selected, with granulometric sizes ranging frompebbles to clays, formed by local phenomena of mass-movements at the bases of the elevations.

The transitional depositional system includes sedimentarydeposits and facies typical of the coastal plain, generated by theinfluence of oceanographic variables of the coastal dynamic,including the action of the waves, coastal currents, tides andwinds. The sediments of this system are of marine beach, eolic,lagoonal, paludial (mangrove swamps and salt marshes) andalluvial origin. In the south of the State, these deposits arevisible, linked to the systems of the lagoonal-barrier type,similar to those which occur in the State of Rio Grande do Sul.

The existence of previous coastlines situated at higher sealevels than those of today has been proven by means ofgeological (sedimentological and geomorphological)evidence, erosive and depositional evidence, in the form ofmarine and lagoonal terraces, cliffs and coastal dunes;biological evidence resulting from incrustations of vermetids,mollusks and fossil tubes of crustaceans; and archeologicalevidence, by the presence of sambaquis (shell-mounds),rupestrian activity and lithic sites in general.

The pleistoncenic deposits were accumulated during theregressive marine phases following the transgressions of themiddle and late Pleistocene epoch, correlating to barriers II andIII of the Rio Grande do Sul Multiple Barrier Complex(V , 1986). The majority of works published sofar on the Santa Catarina coastal plain refer to the pleistocenicdeposits as typical of the late Pleistocene epoch (120ka).However, some authors cite older deposits in the southeast andsouth sectors of the State, such as C (1995), D

(1995) and H (1999).The origin of the holocenic deposits, which are evenly

distributed throughout all the sectors of the coastal plain of thestate, is linked to the Flandrian post-transgression regressivephase, which corresponds to the IV barrier of Rio Grande do Sul(V ., 1986). Intertidal beach deposits are visible inthe form of plains of retrogressive beach ridges; lagoonaldeposits in the form of lagoonal terraces of older lagoons; eolicdeposits in the form of coastal dunes, active or fixed by thevegetation of the Restinga; paludial deposits in the form of tidalplains, with vegetation typical of the mangrove swamps and saltmarshes, and artificial conchiferous deposits in the form ofrounded hills, typical of the sambaquis archeological sites.

At a global level, the alternating between glacial andinterglacial periods which occurred during the Quaternaryperiod in the northern hemisphere and its indirect consequencesin the austral oceans; the tectonic cenozoic movements; thedeformations of the terrestrial geoid and the accumulation ofsediments in the oceanic basins; among other factors, areimportant causes explaining the formation of the emersed andsubmersed deposits of the coastal plains and adjacentcontinental shelves.

The geological-geomorphological evolution of the SantaCatarina coastal province, in terms of the interpretation of itsquaternary deposits, is related to the relative fluctuations in sealevel of the south Atlantic ocean. Holocenic depositspredominate in the coastal plain and continental shelf of thePelotas and Santos basins, followed by late pleistocenicdeposits and unusual middle Pleistocene occurrences.

The older sediments, typical of the marine beach, lagoonaland eolic environments, are correlated to the transgressive andregressive phases of the middle and late Pleistocene. Themiddle, which corresponds to the Mindel/Riss interglacialperiod or Yarmouthian period in the northern hemisphere, wasformed during the transgressions of the middle Plesitocene. Thelate, relating to the Riss/Wurm interglacial period orSangamoniano period in the northern hemisphere (120ka) wasresponsible for the formation of the brazilian depositscorresponding to the transgression of the late Pleistocene. Theholocenic deposits of the marine beach, eolic, fluvial, paludial,fluvio-lagoonal and artificial conchiferous environmentsoriginated during the Flandrian post-transgression regressivephases, from the climatic optimum (5.1ka) until the present day.

In the south sector and some more restricted regions of thecentral sector of the Santa Catarina coastal plain, the quaternarydeposits are typical of the lagoonal-barrier depositional system,in which sand sediments of the beach marine environment of thebarrier occur towards the ocean, and sand-mud sediments of thelagoonal environment of the retrobarrier, towards thecontinental region. Both sediments are partially or totallycovered by eolic deposits in the form of dunes, formed duringthe regressive marine phases. The lagoon-barriers were formedduring the middle Pleistocene (barrier II), late Pleistocene(barrier III) and the Holocene epochs (barrier IV).

The coastal mineral resources associated with the rocks,deposits of the coastal plain and sedimentary facies of thecontinental shelf, have been indiscriminately exploited in themajority of sectors of the Santa Catarina coast. Among these,the following are highlighted: fragments of basement rocks;coarse sand of the coluvials and alluvial fans; carbonates oflagoonal deposits and anthropogenic deposits of the sambaquitype; sands of the marine and eolic deposits; peats of thepaludial and lagoonal deposits; and sea water. The use of thesemineral resources is varied, but they are heavily used in civilconstruction, and also as raw materials for the industrial sector.

The use of the mineral resources associated with thegeological units of the Santa Catarina coastal plain hasincreased considerably in recent years, due to the State's socio-

The Coastal Plain

Paleogeographic Evolution

Associated Coastal Mineral Resources

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economic development and urban expansion, and tourism ingeneral. In the majority of cases, the exploitation of theseresources has been carried out in a disordered and badly-managed way, with no regard for the basic directives of coastalmanagement, resulting in irreparable and even disastrousconsequences to the environment.

The mineral resources may be subdivided, according to theirorigin, into inorganic and organic. The first category includesrocks, coarse sand, sand and pebbles, clay and water, while thesecond includes peata, carbonates and diatomite.

The basement rocks are used as material for gravel,breakwaters, jetties, embankments and masonry stone for themanufacture of foundation stones for buildings, foundationpillars and edging for paving and sidewalks. The gravelassociated with the colluvial and alluvial fan deposits is used forpaving streets and embankments.

The coarser sands and pebbles of the alluvial deposits foundon the river beds have been used by the civil constructionindustry, for embankments, and for paving streets and housingdevelopments. The finer, lighter sands, essentially quartzoes, ofthe eolic deposits of the pleistocenic and holocenic epochs,have direct use in civil construction. The high-density blacksands of the placer beaches of various periods, which have anilmenite, magnetite, zircon and monazite base, have not beenutilized so far.

The clays of the fluvial holocenic deposits, associated withthe rivers of the coastal plain, are used in the ceramic industryfor the manufacture of white or fine ceramics (floor and walltiles and crockery) and red ceramics (bricks, roof tiles andflagstones).

Water from the rivers and lagoons is used to supply urbanareas and industrial centers while the thermal mineral water isused for its therapeutic properties.

Peat of the lagoonal and paludial holocenic deposit is used asa soil corrective, while the calcium carbonate obtained from thelagoonal and artificial conchiferous (sambaqui) deposits areused as for cement in the civil construction industry.

The results of the geological, geomorphological andstudy of the coastal province of Santa

Catarina will serve as a basis for future research of aninterdisciplinary nature, on other similar plains and shelves.The similarity is emphasized, in terms of these aspects, betweenthe north of Santa Catarina and the State of Paraná and betweenthe south of Santa Catarina and the State of Rio Grande do Sul.

It is worth noting that future studies will have, as their basicpremise, the accomplishment of preliminary activitiesinvolving extensive bibliographic review, a theoreticalfoundation and the interpretation of aerial photographs andsatellite images. These will not obviate the need, however, forfield work and laboratory analyses to complement the initialactivities.

The authons would like to thank the organizers of thissymposium for the opportunity to present this work during the8th International Coastal Symposium. Also, this presentationwas only possible thanks to the support received by theUniversity of Vale do Itajaí and the Federal University of SantaCatarina.

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CONCLUSIONS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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