Mata atlantica- serra da mantiqueira

A Geological Study

LTCC Geology 103

Field Assignment

By Mauricio Torrealba

Index:

Introduction: Serra da Mantiqueira

Panthera onca

Tibouchina mutabilis

Mountains: The Serra da Mantiqueira and region

Climate: Serra da Mantiqueira

Rock / Limestone cave

Rock Granitic

Rock Basalt

Rock Gneiss

Rock Quartzite

Biodiversity

Curiosities: the Serra da Mantiqueira

Introduction: Mata atlantica- serra da mantiqueira

The origin of the Atlantic is associated with the

separation of the African and South American

continents, which occurred at approximately 80

million years ago, marking a period of geological

unrest that shook the earth. Volcanoes and great

accommodations in the crust raised numerous

blocks of mountains, such as the Serra da

Mantiqueira, which occupied the coastal strip

from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro and became

the ideal scenario for the Atlantic Forest.

Thus it presents a variety of backgrounds, encompassing a

diverse range of forest ecosystems with very different

structures and floristic composition, following the climatic

characteristics of the regions where it occurs, and the

common element exposure to humid winds that blow from

the ocean.

Panthera oncaThe jaguar is a sturdy and muscular animal. Size and

weight vary considerably: the weight is usually between

56-96 kg. The highest recorded males weighing up to 160

kg (with the weight of a tigress or lioness), and smaller

females came to have 36 kg. This animal is currently

under threat of extinction in the Atlantic forest.

Ancestor: The ancestor of the jaguar lived between six

and ten million years ago despite the fossil record point to

the emergence of the genus Panthera between 2 million

and 3.8 million years ago Early Pleistocene, the

forerunners of the current Oz crossed the Beringia and

arrived in North America: from there reached Central

America and South America until crowding in the Atlantic

Forest region.

Risk of extinction

Currently: The jaguar, cat species found mainly in the

Atlantic Forest, has many chances to enter fully into

extinction .. The document points out that only 250

specimens jaguar exist throughout that territory, being

distributed in eight isolated populations. The causes for

the advancement of the disappearance of jaguars are

related to habitat loss due to deforestation, hunting and

fragmentation of vegetation for the development of

activities of hunters.

Tibouchina mutabilisThe manacá-da-serra (Tibouchina mutabilis) is a pioneer tree of the Brazilian

the Atlantic Forest (specifically the Serra da Mantiqueira), the dense rain

forest of the Atlantic slope of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Occurs almost exclusively in secondary forests, which gets to be the

dominant species. It is also found in salt marshes around the coast of São

Paulo, and in the rain forest of southeastern same state.

Ecology of plant: heliophile is a pioneer species, occurs mainly in the

Atlantic rain forest; seed dispersal by wind occurs (anemochory); like

hot and humid climate. Species common in secondary forests, mainly

in the mountains of the Atlantic Forest.

Phenology: Flowers in the months from November to February, the

fruits ripen from February to March.

Mountains: The Serra da Mantiqueira and region

Advantage: The block mountains formed a barrier to moisture-laden winds coming from the

ocean. In the form of fog or rain, the moisture helped to create the necessary conditions for the

Atlantic formations, giving rise to the the Atlantic Forest itself, if instalassem and evolve rapidly.

Origin: The origin of mountains is also associated with the

separation of the African and South American continents,

which occurred at approximately 80 million years ago,

marking a period of geological unrest that shook the earth.

Volcanoes and great accommodations in the crust raised

numerous blocks of mountains.

ClimateThe climate in the region comprised by the Atlantic

rain forest, has two seasons, mainly defined by

rainfall, although quite variable latitudinally.

In the Southeast region the annual averages are

lower and the temperature may occasionally reach

-6 ° C

Climate variations caused by the succession of

periods of glaciation, when it formed the large

glaciers (cold and dry climate) and periods between

glaciations (when the weather was warmer and

more rain), contributed to the expansion of the the

Atlantic Forest who arrived pushing the boundaries

of the Amazon Forest

Rock / Limestone cave

Originate from a number of geological processes

that may involve a combination of chemical,

tectonic, biological and atmospheric changes.

Limestone, for the most part, are formed by the

accumulation of lower organisms (for example,

cyanobacteria) or precipitation of calcium

carbonate in the form of bicarbonates, especially in

the marine environment

● Travertine: dense limestones are found in

caves and caverns composed of calcite,

aragonite and limonite

Granitic rocksGranite is a common type of igneous rock of fine, medium or coarse

grain mainly composed of quartz, mica efeldspato, and accessory

minerals such as mica (almost always present), hornblende, zircon and

other minerals. It is usually found in the continental plates of the Earth's

crust. Are found in some regions of the the Serra da Mantiqueira.

The mineralogical composition of granite is defined by very different

associations of quartz, feldspar, mica (biotite and / or muscovite),

amphibole (mainly hornblende), pyroxenes (augite and hiperstena) and

olivine. Some of these components may be absent in certain

mineralogical associations, by noting several other accessory minerals

in much more modest proportions. Quartz, feldspar, mica and amphibole

are the dominant minerals in granite and related rocks ..

Basalt rock

Until the late nineteenth and twentieth century it was common in

São Paulo towards West from the city of Valinhos the presence of

an Atlantic Rainforest Semidecidual (a forest that loses some of the

leaves in the dry season) which featured gigantic trees up to 50 feet

tall and a few feet in diameter, fed by the fertile soil purple derived

from basalt rock

Basalt is an eruptive igneous rock, fine-grained, aphanitic, ie the

crystals are not seen with the naked eye, and may also contain

large quantities or consist entirely of glass (amorphous material).

This rock consists mainly deplagioclásio and pyroxene, and in

many cases olivine. As accessory minerals are mainly iron oxides

and titanium.

Gneiss rockSome of the oldest rocks in the world are gneisses. An example of

gneiss rock formation is the Sugarloaf, located in the city of Rio de

Janeiro, connected with the the Serra da Mantiqueira, Brazil.

Gneiss is a rock of metamorphic origin, resulting from the deformation

of sediments arcósicos or granite. Its composition is different

minerals, over 20% of K-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz and biotite and

yet, so it is considered essentially quartzofeldspática.

Granulation often lies between medium and coarse; the structure is

very variable, ranging from massive, foliated granitoid and (given by

the flattening of grains) until banded, usually with centimeter

millimeter bands alternating with other maismáficas derived from

metamorphic segregation processes that culminate in magmatic

rocks.

Quartzite rockThe quartzite is a metamorphic rock whose major component is quartz

(more than 75% as an order of magnitude).

The quartzites are the most common rocks in the upper part hacksaw.

Are metasediments that relate to marine environments sedimentation,

and the current geological knowledge of the region assigned to them

equivalent to 1.8 billion years approximate age.

In the lower part of the mountain, around 1,000 meters, quartzite loses

its hegemony. Share this predominant limestone, marble and

limestone belonging to Bamburgh group, aged approximately 900

million years ago and originated from the chemical deposition of

calcium carbonate in the Precambrian marine sedimentation

environment.

BiodiversityOne of the biggest reasons to preserve what remains

of the Atlantic forest is rich in biodiversity, or the

variety of animals and plants. It is estimated that in it

there are ten thousand species of plants, 76 palm

trees; 131 species of mammals, among these 21

species of primates, opossums 23, 57 rodents; 214

species of birds, among them there is the bellbird,

known as "the voice of the Atlantic forest" and critically

endangered; 183 amphibians and 143 of répteis.O

golden lion tamarin is one of the most endangered

species in the world. It is found only in a small area of

Atlantic forest that corresponds to the state of Sao

paulo.

Due to the great devastation that kills almost 200

species are threatened with extinction, outside those

that have become extinct. It is estimated that half of

the species alive today may be extinct by the end of

the century if no action is taken to control

deforestation and fires, which are the main forms of

destruction of this important biome.

Curiosities: the Serra da MantiqueiraThe saw has a dated geological formation of the

Archean era that comprises a solid rock that has

large upland area, from one thousand to nearly

three thousand meters, along the boundaries of

the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Rio de

Janeiro.

The region of Serra da Mantiqueira has medium

altitudes 1200-2800 meters. The saw and popular

for mountaineering practice by having high peaks,

and the rally, and during the winter because it is

the dry season increases demand for that sport in

the hills.

The Serra da Mantiqueira integrates the ecosystem

of the rainforest

Presenting these spots remaining forests and fields

in altitude at its highest peaks. Allied to this, a large

native wildlife can still be found in it

Stephen,J.(08/2007). A Evolução dos Gatos. Scientific American Braasil.edition 63.Retrieved from http:

// www2.uol.com.br/sciam/reportagens/a_evolucao_dos_gatos_imprimir.html

Onça-pintada.(n.d.). In pt.wikipedia.org.Retrieved July 25, 2014 from http://pt.wikipedia. org/wiki/On % C3%

A 7a-pintada

Patro, R. (08/12/2013). Manacá-da-serra – Tibouchina mutabilis. Retrieved from http://www.jardineiro.

net/plantas/manaca-da-serra-tibouchina-mutabilis.html

Tibouchina mutabilis. (n.d.).In pt.wikipedia.org.Retrieved July 24, 2014 from http://pt.wikipedia.org

/wiki/Tibouchina_mutabilis

Nogueira, L. (09/11/2008).MATA ATLÂNTICA: ORIGEM DO BIOMA, CARACTERIZAÇÃO E ÀREAS

DE OCORRÊNCIA. Retrieved from http://www.webartigos.com/artigos/mata-atlantica-origem-do-bioma-

caracterizacao-e-areas-de-ocorrencia/9243/

References

O vale do Ribeira. (n.d.). In http://www.ige.unicamp.br.Retrieved July 24, 2014 from http://www.ige.

unicamp.br/geomed/produtos/folders/vale-2.pdf

Granito. (n.d.).In pt.wikipedia.org.Retrieved July 26, 2014 from http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granito

Castro, A.(10/12/2009).Mata Atlântica: O bioma ameaçado.Retrieved from http://antoniokcastro.

blogspot.com/2009/10/mata-atlantica.html

Vieira, F.(07/1997). Biodiversidade, população e economia: Uma região de mata atlantica.Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/479410/Biodiversidade_ populacao_e_economia_uma_regiao_de_mata_atlantica_ Biodiversity_population_and_ economy_a_region_of_Atlantic_forest