RELIEF PATTERNS OF THE CARIRI PARAIBANO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AREA: A CONTRIBUTION TO SEMI-ARID GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CARTOGRAPHY

Abstract

The Cariri Environmental Protection Area (Cariri EPA) is in the semiarid portion of the Borborema Plateau in Paraíba, encompassing the Caatinga biome. Remnants of semideciduous forest refuges, archaeological sites and signifi cant geomorphological heritage developed on granitic rocks in the Cariri EPA. Since the Cariri EPA was created in 2004 the Management Plan or the Environmental Zoning have not been created. Thus, the present work aims to contribute to the knowledge of the physical aspects of the Cariri EPA through the mapping of relief and their compartmentalization. The IBGE methodology was used with some adaptations. The mapping was elaborated in the sectorization of relief parameters, such as slope and amplitude in 2nd basins order. The results showed a quite dissected relief, characterized by fl attened surfaces and wide soft hills, interspersed by hills and structural cliff s conditioned by resistance of the rocks to weathering. The Topodata digital elevation model was effi cient in automating the relief segmentation process.