Geology and Geomorphology of Holocene Coastal Barriers of Brazil

389 Pages·2009·20.983 MB·English

by  Sérgio R. Dillenburg, Patrick A. Hesp (auth.)

Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences 107
Editor:
S.Bhattacharji,Brooklyn
H.J.Neugebauer,Bonn
J.Reitner,Göttingen
K.Stüwe,Graz
FoundingEditors:
G.M.Friedman,BrooklynandTroy
A.Seilacher,TübingenandYale
·
Sérgio R. Dillenburg Patrick A. Hesp
Geology
and Geomorphology
of Holocene Coastal
Barriers of Brazil
123
Dr.SérgioR.Dillenburg Dr.PatrickA. Hesp
UniversidadeFederaldo LouisianaStateUniversity
RioGrandedoSul Dept.Geography&Anthropology
InstitutodeGeociências BatonRougeLA70808
Av.BentoGonçalves9500 227HoweRussellComplex
PortoAlegre-RS USA
Brazil [email protected]
[email protected]
ForallLectureNotesinEarthSciencespublishedtillnowpleaseseefinalpagesofthebook
ISBN:978-3-540-25008-1 e-ISBN:978-3-540-44771-9
LectureNotesinEarthSciencesISSN:0930-0317
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(cid:2)c Springer-VerlagBerlinHeidelberg2009
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Preface
This is the first book to cover the Holocene geology and geomorphology
of the 9,200 kilometers of the Brazilian coast. It is written for third and
fourth year undergraduates, post-graduate students, scientists and manag-
ers. It characterizes the Brazilian coast in terms of the Holocene geology,
geomorphology, oceanographic and climatic conditions, and the location,
morphology and evolution of the barrier types. Separate chapters outline
the types of barriers and coastal dynamics in each state, beginning in the
south and proceeding to the north. Some emphasis is placed on the
stretches of coast where the detailed morphology and stratigraphy of bar-
riers has been previously determined.
To date, the Brazilian coastal barriers have been largely ignored by the
international community, partly perhaps because much of the past research
has tended to concentrate on barrier islands, of which there are very few in
Brazil. In contrast, the Brazilian coastal barriers display a much wider
range of types than is generally assumed. The biggest and most spectacular
transgressive dunefield barriers in the world exist in Brazil, and dominate
the southern and northeastern coasts. Many have never been described be-
fore.
This volume provides a wealth of information on Holocene barrier
types, evolution and dynamics. It provides managers, ecologists, biologists
and botanists with much needed information on the geology, geomorphol-
ogy and dynamics of the genesis, types, functioning and ecosystems of the
Holocene barriers extending along the entire Brazilian coast.
The book has eleven chapters, written by thirty contributors. Each one is
an outstanding researcher in coastal environments, Holocene geology
and/or geomorphology. In the following, Chap. 1 provides a brief review
of coastal barrier definitions and types, and discusses the principle factors
controlling their evolution and formation. The second chapter presents a
broad-scale overview of the Brazilian coast, identifying the main factors
acting to differentiate various sectors along that coastline, and the factors
that control the large-scale development of these coastal depositional sys-
tems. The following nine chapters outline the types and evolution of bar-
riers of the southern, southeastern, northeastern, and northern coastal re-
gions of Brazil.
VI Preface
Acknowledgements. We thank all our colleagues who struggled
through this production with us. Your patience has been nothing short of
wonderful. We sincerely thank the Brazilian scientific agencies, and our
Universities for providing funding for many of us to conduct research in
various parts of Brazil. We particularly wish to thank Mary Lee Eggart for
her superb cartographic work and assistance, Eduardo G. Barboza and Ma-
ria Luiza C. C. Rosa for their editorial assistance, and Janet Sterritt from
Springer for her patience, support and help getting this work published. As
usual, responsibility for all deficiencies and errors rests with the editors.
Fig. 3.8 – Thanks to Wiley for permission to reprint figure 4 from Hesp
et al. (2007) Morphology of the Itapeva to Tramandaí transgressive dune-
field barrier system and Mid- to Late seal level change. Earth Surface
Processes and Landforms 32:407–414 (Copyright year 2006, Wiley Inter-
science). Fig. 3.20 – Thanks to Elsevier for permission to reprint figure 6
from the paper of Dillenburg SR, Tomazelli LJ, Barboza EG (2004) Bar-
rier evolution and placer formation at Bujuru Southern Brazil. Marine Geol-
ogy 203:43–56 (Copyright year 2003, Elsevier).

Sérgio R. Dillenburg and Patrick A. Hesp

July, 2008
List of Contributors
Angela B. Almeida, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de
Geociências, Curso de Pós-Graduação em Geologia, Rua Barão de
Geremoabo s/n, 40170-290, Salvador, Bahia, Brasil,
[email protected]

Ana C. S. Andrade, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Departamento de
Geografia, Avenida Marechal Rondon s/n, 49100-000, São Cristóvão,
Sergipe, Brasil, [email protected]

Rodolfo J. Angulo, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências
da Terra, Centro Politécnico, BR-277, Caixa Postal 19001, 81531-970,
Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil, [email protected]

Nils E. Asp Neto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus Universitário
de Bragança, Alameda Leandro Ribeiro s/n, 68600-000, Bragança, Pará,
Brasil, [email protected]

Mario L. Assine, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de
Geociências e Ciências Exatas, Avenida 24-A 1515, 13506-900, Rio Claro,
São Paulo, Brasil, [email protected]

Ricardo N. Ayup-Zouain, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul,
Instituto de Geociências, Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9500, Caixa Postal
15001, 91509-900, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil,
[email protected]

Eduardo G. Barboza, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul,
Instituto de Geociências, Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9500, Caixa Postal
15001, 91509-900, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil,
[email protected]

Abílio C. S. P. Bittencourt, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de
Geociências, Rua Barão de Geremoabo s/n, 40170-290, Salvador, Bahia,
Brasil, [email protected]
VIII List of Contributors
Vanda Claudino-Sales, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento
de Geografia, Campus do Pici, Bloco 911, 60115-170, Fortaleza, Ceará,
Brasil, [email protected]

Luiz C. P. Clerot, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto
de Geociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências, Avenida
Bento Gonçalves 9500, 91509-900, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul,
Brasil, [email protected]

Marcelo C.L. Cohen, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de
Geociências, Campus da UFPA, Av. Augusto Correa 1, 66075-110,
Belém, Pará, Brasil, [email protected]

Francisco R. Costa, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de
Geociências, Campus Universitário de Marabá (Campus II), 68503-080,
Marabá, Pará, Brasil, [email protected]

Maria Cristina de Souza, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de
Ciências da Terra, Centro Politécnico, BR-277, Caixa Postal 19001,
81531-970, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil, [email protected]

Gilberto T. M. Dias, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Departamento
de Geologia, Avenida General Milton Tavares Souza s/n, 24210-346,
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, [email protected]

Sérgio R. Dillenburg, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul,
Instituto de Geociências, Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9500, Caixa Postal
15001, 91509-900, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil,
[email protected]

Daniel R. do Nascimento Jr., Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de
Geociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica e Geotectônica,
Rua do Lago 562, 05508-080, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil,
[email protected]

José M. L. Dominguez, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de
Geociências, Campus Universitário de Ondina, Rua Barão de Geremoabo
s/n, 40170-290, Salvador, Bahia, Brasil, [email protected]

Paulo C. F. Giannini, Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de
Geociências, Rua do Lago 562, 05508-080, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil,
[email protected]
List of Contributors IX
Carlos C. F. Guedes, Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de
Geociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica e Geotectônica,
Rua do Lago 562, 05508-080, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil,
[email protected]

Patrick A. Hesp, Louisiana State University, Department of Geography
and Anthropology, 227 Howe Russell Geoscience Complex, 70803, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, USA, [email protected]

Björn Kjerfve, Department of Oceanography and Department of Geo-
graphy, College of Geosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station,
TX 77843, USA, [email protected]

Ruben J. Lara, Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Fahrenheitstrasse 6,
28359, Bremen, Germany, [email protected]

Guilherme C. Lessa, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de
Geociências, Campus Universitário de Ondina, Rua Barão de Geremoabo
s/n, 40170-020, Salvador, Bahia, Brasil, [email protected]

Luiz P. Maia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Instituto de Ciências do
Mar, Avenida Abolição 3207, 60165-081, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil,
[email protected]

C. Thaís Martinho, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul,
Instituto de Geociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências,
Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9500, 91509-900, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do
Sul, Brasil, [email protected]

Graziela Miot da Silva, Nicholls State University, Physical Sciences,
906 East 1st Street, 70310, Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA, grazie-
[email protected]

Pedro W. M. Souza-Filho Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de
Geociências, Campus da UFPA, Avenida Augusto Correa 1, 66075-110,
Belém, Pará, Brasil, walfir @ufpa.br

Ana P. B. Tanaka, Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Geociências,
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica e Geotectônica, Rua do Lago
562, 05508-080, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil,
[email protected]
X List of Contributors
Luiz J. Tomazelli, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto
de Geociências, Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9500, Caixa Postal 15001,
91509-900, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil,
[email protected]

Helenice Vital, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte,
Departamento de Geologia, Campus Universitário, Caixa Postal 1596,
59072-970, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil, [email protected]
Contents
Preface ....................................................................................................... V
List of Contributors ............................................................................... VII
Contents ................................................................................................... XI
1. Coastal Barriers – An Introduction .................................................... 1
1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................... 1
1.2 Origin of Coastal Barriers ................................................................ 2
1.3 Geologic, Oceanographic and Climatic Controls of Barriers .......... 4
1.3.1 Sea Level ............................................................................... 6
1.3.2 Substrate Slope ...................................................................... 6
1.3.3 Sediments .............................................................................. 7
1.3.4 Waves and Tides .................................................................... 8
1.3.5 Winds ..................................................................................... 8
1.3.6 Antecedent Topography ........................................................ 9
1.4 Summary ......................................................................................... 10
References ............................................................................................ 10
2. The Coastal Zone of Brazil ................................................................ 17
2.1 Introduction ................................................................................... 17
2.2 Geological Background ................................................................. 19
2.3 Major Coastal Processes ................................................................ 19
2.4 Sediment Supply ............................................................................ 24
2.5 Sea-Level History .......................................................................... 24
2.5.1 High Sea Levels Prior to 120,000 yrs BP ............................ 24
2.5.2 The High Sea Level of 120,000 yrs BP ............................... 25
2.5.3 The High Sea Level of 5,600 cal yrs BP .............................. 25
2.6 Coastal Typologies ........................................................................ 26
2.6.1 The Strike-Fed Sandy Coast of Rio Grande do Sul ............. 26
2.6.2 The High-Relief Coast of Southeastern Brazil .................... 28
2.6.3 The Dip-Fed Wave-Dominated Deltaic Doast
of Eastern Brazil .................................................................. 29