Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana

Volumen 66, núm. 2, 2014, p. 263-277

http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2014v66n2a4

Cartografía geomorfológica a escala 1:50000 del Parque Nacional Lagunas de Montebello, Chiapas (México)

 Iisel Durán Calderón1,*, Oscar Escolero Fuentes1, Esperanza Muñoz Salinas1, Miguel Castillo Rodríguez1, Gilberto Silva Romo2

1 Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito de la Investigación Científica, Ciudad Universitaria, México, DF, 04510, México.
2 Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Ciudad Universitaria, México DF, 04510, México

* This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

The objective of geomorphological mapping is to identify and delimit landforms, and it is the main tool for environmental studies. Information obtained from geomorphological mapping based on the study of landscape evolution, urban planning, biophysics, and detailed geological researches. This work presents and analyzes a 1:50000 scale geomorphological map of Lagunas de Montebello National Park, located in the southeastern part of Chiapas State (Mexico), and has the goal of providing a document with basic geospatial information apt for use in future studies of water quality in the area. Carbonate rocks, highly affected by karstic processes, are dominant in the park. Cartography was done using a methodology based on field-work analysis and the use of a geographical information system (GIS). A total of 17 geomorphological units, classified in 4 sets, were identified in the final map: 1) Endogenous Structural folding, 2) Exogenous Cumulative, 3) Exogenous Erosive Fluvio-Karst, and 4) Exogenous Erosive Karst. We conclude from the interpretation of the geomorphological units identified in this research that the park is quite heterogenenous, both morphologically and genetically, although lithologically homogeneous, which may be due to the local interactions between karstic (exogenous) processes and tectonics (endogenous). Moreover, two groups of dolinas and uvalas in the area were distinguished by their morphological characteristics. The origin of these two groups requires further studies.

Keywords: Geomorphological mapping, GIS, Lagunas de Montebello National Park, Chiapas, ITC-Enchede.