Tiago Damas Martins

Campos Gerais of Paraná: A Regional Palimpsest

In the south-central region of the state of Parana, there is a landscape known as Campos Gerais . Its genesis dates to the Pleistocene, when a colder and drier climate favored the emergence of grassland vegetation interspersed with Araucaria pine forest s. The relief in this regional palimpsest, which is composed of rocks from the Parana Sedimentary Basin, includes peculiar shapes of great scenic beauty, most notably the Vila Velha sandstones and sinkholes regionally known as Furnas. Mesozoic tectonic activity marked the landscape with intrusions of igneous rocks in the form of dikes and the uplifting of the eastern portion of the region, which resulted in a system of faults and fractures. Over time, these faults and fractures were transformed into canyons of widely varying sizes by the erosive action of rivers. The native vegetation, which was generally favorable to grazing, led to colonization of this landscape by non-indigenous peoples.