Geodiversity of Brazil: knowing the past to understand the present and predict the future

Abstract

In view of its wide intended readership, the information is presented in language that aims to be both precise (although without going into scientific and technical concepts in too much depth) and easy to understand. Basically, the idea is to popularize geodiversity by demonstrating its many social, environmental and economic applications. The 14 chapters in the book address the topic from different perspectives, starting with the origins and evolution of planet Earth to the current day, along with the evolution, appearance and extinction of species throughout geological time as investigated by palaeontology. Special attention is given to water, without which life could not exist, as well as the great mineral wealth on land and on the deepest ocean floors. It also demonstrates the incredible fragility of the physical environment in coastal areas, the characteristics and applications of different tropical soils, the potential of geological heritage for geotourism and the importance of geoconservation. The risks inherent to landslides, floods, earthquakes and desertification are set out in brief, as is the unmatched contribution geodiversity can make to better understanding global climate change, using a humanistic approach and applying this knowledge to different areas and sectors of the economy. In the last chapter, basic information is provided on the major geosystems that make up Brazilian territory: their potentialities and limitations based on their lithology and geological structure and processes. The geotechnical features, soils, water migration, storage and availability, areas of vulnerability and propensities for different human activities dependent on geological factors, and the availability of the mineral resources required for the country’s social and economic development are also discussed. We are confident that this book will be of great utility to its readers, be they teachers, professionals from different areas, businesses and, most of all, public administrators, who understand that geology can be applied beyond its acknowledged economic dimension to inform social and environmental issues as well. By incorporating geology-related issues into government policymaking processes, geodiversity can make a great contribution to society, helping to improve the quality of life for everyone. In view of the excellent reception of this book to the organs of federal and state governments, universities and business sectors, we prepared the English version to disseminate and consolidate geodiversity as an important tool that can be applied to other countries, for the Territorial planning, management and ordering.