Geoheritage and preliminary inventory: Initial approaches for developing the Caiuá Geopark Project
Patrimonio geológico e inventario preliminar: Enfoques iniciales para el desarrollo del Proyecto Geoparque Caiuá
Larissa Cristina Menegassi1,*, Juliana de Paula Silva1, André Weissheimer de Borba2
1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia (PGE/UEM), Universidade Estadual de Maringá. Avenida Colombo, 5790, prédio H12, CEP 87020-900, Zona 7, Maringá/PR, Brasil.
2 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia (PPGGEO/UFSM), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Avenida Roraima, 1000, prédio 17, sala 1137, CEP 97.105-900, Camobi, Santa Maria/RS, Brasil.
* Corresponding author: (L.C. Menegassi) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
How to cite this article:
Menegassi, L.C., Silva, J.P., Weissheimer de Borba, A., 2025, Geoheritage rand preliminary inventory: Initial approaches for developing the Caiuá Geopark Project: Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, 77(3), A061025. http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2025v77n3a061025
Manuscript received: December 19, 2024. Corrected manuscript received: April 24, 2025. Manuscript accepted: May 15, 2025.
ABSTRACT
This study presents a preliminary analysis of the geoheritage within the territory of the Caiuá Geopark Project, located in the northwestern region of the state of Paraná, Brazil. The investigation is based on the geosite inventory methodology proposed by Brilha (2016). The study area, situated within the Paraná Sedimentary Basin, demonstrates notable paleontological significance, evidenced by unprecedented discoveries of fossil remains of Mesozoic vertebrates in the rock layers of the Caiuá Group, including specimens of dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Concurrently, the territory features significant geodiversity sites, such as waterfalls over basaltic rocks and unique sedimentary outcrops, in addition to an area of ecological interest. Accordingly, this study describes and characterizes seven preliminary identified sites of interest: two geosites (a paleontological site and a sandstone outcrop), three geodiversity sites (represented by two waterfalls and a rapid), one site of ecological interest (Perobas Biological Reserve), and one site of historical and cultural and interest (Paleontology Museum). These preliminary results aim to contribute to the future application of the Caiuá territory to the International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme, which certifies territories as UNESCO Global Geoparks.
Keywords: Caiuá territory, geopark, geoheritage, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, Paleontology Museum, waterfalls.
RESUMEN
El presente estudio presenta un análisis preliminar del geopatrimonio del territorio del Proyecto Geoparque Caiuá, ubicado en el noroeste del estado de Paraná, Brasil. La investigación se basa en la metodología de inventario de geositios propuesta por Brilha (2016). El área de estudio, inserta en la cuenca sedimentaria del Paraná, evidencia una notable relevancia paleontológica, atestiguada por descubrimientos inéditos de vertebrados mesozoicos en las capas rocosas del Grupo Caiuá, abarcando especímenes de dinosaurios y pterosaurios. Simultáneamente, el territorio exhibe sitios de geodiversidad significativos, a ejemplo de caídas de agua en rocas basálticas y afloramientos sedimentarios singulares, además de un área de interés ecológico. De esta forma, el presente estudio describe y caracteriza siete áreas de potencial interés identificadas preliminarmente: dos geositios (un sitio paleontológico y un afloramiento rocoso en arenisca), tres sitios de geodiversidad (representados por dos cascadas y un rápido), un sitio de interés ecológico (Reserva Biológica das Perobas) y un sitio de interés cultural e histórico (Museo de Paleontología). Estos resultados preliminares tienen como objetivo contribuir a la futura candidatura del Proyecto al Programa Internacional de Geociencias y Geoparques, que certifica un territorio como Geoparque Mundial de la UNESCO.
Palabras clave: territorio Caiuá, geoparque, patrimonio geológico, dinosaurios, pterosaurios, Museo de Paleontología, cascadas.
1. Introduction
The concept of geodiversity has been recognized in several countries but has not yet reached the same relevance as biodiversity in our society. Brilha (2005) states that the term originated in the Malvern Conference on Geological and Landscape Conservation in 1993 in the United Kingdom. Lima and Filho (2018) report that geodiversity was first mentioned by Australian geologist Chris Sharples in Tasmania (Sharples, 2002). In 2013, Gray updated his definition of 2004, conceptualizing geodiversity as the natural variety of geological (rocks, minerals, and fossils), geomorphological (landforms, topography, and physical processes), soil, and hydrological elements. This includes assemblages, structures, systems, and contributions to landscapes (Gray, 2013).
There are other definitions for this term. However, they all follow the same systemic language that characterizes geodiversity as the diversity of elements in the physical composition of planet Earth. Recent studies reinforce geodiversity’s fundamental role in the conservation of the planet’s abiotic nature (geoconservation), geoscientific education, and socio-economic development of geoheritage-rich areas, which is the set of geological locations, formations, and landscapes with scientific, educational, aesthetic, and cultural value. For Liccardo et al. (2012), geotourism, an important concept for the study of geodiversity, is a field of geosciences and tourism that has been widely used as a tool of informal education.
Geoheritage, as described by Nascimento et al. (2015), refers to the set of surveyed and geographically characterized geosites that have a significant value in scientific, educational, cultural, and touristic aspects. Geoconservation is crucial for protecting and appreciating geodiversity and geoheritage, acting through the identification and management of these geosites. It allows the development of conservation strategies such as creating protected areas and promoting educational and touristic activities. Additionally, geoconservation contributes to public awareness regarding the importance of these elements, encouraging their preservation and respect.
UNESCO Global Geoparks play a vital role in the appreciation and promotion of territories by using geoconservation as a strategy for sustainable development and ensuring the protection of geoheritage. The pillars supporting this approach – geoheritage, management, visibility, and networking – collectively form the criteria for designating a territory as a UNESCO Global Geopark (Nascimento et al., 2022). With a management model grounded in a holistic concept of protection, education, and sustainable development, geoparks aim to ensure territorial conservation and the dissemination of sites of geological interest.
In Brazil, there are currently (April 2025) six UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp). The Araripe UGGp was the country’s pioneer, receiving its designation in 2006. In 2022, the Seridó and Caminhos dos Cânions do Sul territories joined the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. The following year, in 2023, the Caçapava UGGp and Quarta Colônia UGGp were also added to the network. Most recently, in 2024, the Uberaba UGGp, located in the Triângulo Mineiro region, was designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark, completing the list of internationally recognized UGGp in Brazil (UNESCO, 2024).
Two geopark proposals are currently under development in the state of Paraná: the Prudentópolis Geopark Project and the Caiuá Geopark Project. This study focuses on presenting the sites of interest identified as geosites, geodiversity sites, and sites of biological, historical, and cultural significance located within the territory of the Caiuá Geopark Project in the northwestern region of the state of Paraná and comprising four municipalities: Cruzeiro do Oeste, Tuneiras do Oeste, Mariluz, and Alto Piquiri.
The study area, situated within the Paraná Sedimentary Basin, is distinguished by unprecedented paleontological discoveries. The paleontological site of Cruzeiro do Oeste has shown significant international relevance, with notable impacts in the field of paleontology, given that dinosaurs and other Mesozoic organisms were previously unknown in the deposits of the Caiuá Group. Among these discoveries is the first dinosaur recorded in Paraná, Vespersaurus paranaensis, described by Langer et al. (2019). Fossil specimens collected from the paleontological site are housed at the Alexandre Gustavo Dobruski Paleontology Museum in Cruzeiro do Oeste.
In terms of geosites, in addition to the paleontological site, the territory features a rocky outcrop composed of fine sandstones, extending for approximately 250 meters and characterized by sedimentary deposits with wedge-shaped cross-bedding structures (Sá et al., 2021). Regarding geodiversity sites, Salto Paiquerê, Pinhal Waterfall, and the rapids known as Apertados do Piquiri display landforms shaped by the region’s basaltic rocks. The Perobas Biological Reserve, in turn, constitutes an important attraction related to biodiversity, housing native species of fauna and flora from the Atlantic Forest biome. The Paleontology Museum, on the other hand, houses fossil specimens recovered from the Cruzeiro do Oeste paleontological site and plays a prominent role in disseminating paleontological knowledge through guided tours, workshops, lectures, and related events.
The first step in submitting a project proposal to the UNESCO International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme is the identification and characterization of the geoheritage of the territory. Although the complete process involves the inventory and quantification of geosites and geodiversity sites, this article presents preliminary results concerning the identification of potentially significant sites within the Caiuá Geopark Project territory, based on the initial stages of the methodology proposed by Brilha (2016). Specifically, this paper describes and characterizes seven areas/sites of potential interest, including geosites, geodiversity sites, and areas of ecological, educational, touristic, and cultural relevance, preliminarily identified through the initial methodological steps.
2. Physical aspects of the study area
The territory of the Caiuá Geopark Project lies about 550 km from Curitiba, in the Terceiro Planalto Paranaense (third Paraná plateau). It is characterized by a geological base that encompasses the Serra Geral group, which consists of Mesozoic igneous rocks, together with the Caiuá and Bauru groups.
The Mesozoic magmatism, presented mainly by basalts and andesites in the form of flows up to 1 900 m thick, covers about 75% of the Paraná Basin, from Rio Grande do Sul and extending, in Paraná, from Serra da Esperança (between Prudentópolis and Guarapuava) to southern Goiás. It enters the territories of Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay as well (MINEROPAR, 2006). Reis (2013) reports that the flows in the Serra Geral Formation consist of rocks that accumulated almost 2 km of basalt on top of sedimentary rocks of the Paraná Basin (Figure 1).
Currently, the sedimentary rocks of the Bauru Basin (which forms the Caiuá and Bauru groups, synchronous stratigraphic units according to the classification of Fernandes, 1998) crop out in northwestern Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul and southern Goiás, overlapping the basalts of the Serra Geral group in an erosive discordance (Bettú et al., 2006). In general, the prevailing sedimentation environment in the Bauru Group is considered alluvial-fluvial, whereas the Caiuá Group records eolian deposits.
Deposition in the Bauru Basin occurred in a semiarid to arid climate with a predominance of eolian sedimentation. This context conditioned the formation of the Caiuá Group, which gathers three sandstone units deposited in a desert environment and corresponding to three distinct sub-environments: a central sand sea zone with large dunes (Rio Paraná Formation), a zone of peripheral eolian deposits subjected to oscillations in the shallow water level (Goioerê Formation), and marginal plains of dry-climate sand sheets (Santo Anastácio Formation) (Fernandes & Coimbra, 1994).
According to Santos et al. (2006), the geological substrate of the Terceiro Planalto Paranaense consists of alkaline basalts associated with extensive Mesozoic flows. In its northwestern portion, the basalts are associated with sandstones of the Bauru Group. This plateau corresponds to about two-thirds of Paraná’s territory and consists predominantly of plateau landforms with a gentle, general surface tilting to the west-northwest. The mean altitudes vary between 1 100 and 1 250 meters in the region of Serra da Esperança, whereas they decrease to 220 to 300 meters in the channel of the Paraná River.
The study of Santos et al. (2006) served as a reference for landform analysis in the northwestern region of Paraná, characterized by low inclination and dissection. The slope categories varied from 0% up to values above 47%. In the study area, terrains with gentle inclination prevail, most of them classified between < 6% and 12–30%.
Fumiya et al. (2015) classified the roughness of the northwestern region as very low (42%) and low (54%), encompassing 96% of the area, which indicates a predominantly even morphology. Some areas show medium (3.57%), high (0.30%), and very high (0.13%) roughness, and these higher roughness classes are associated with local residual features (hills) supported by rocks of siliceous, carbonate, or ferruginous cementation of higher resistance to the denudation process.
According to Larach et al. (1984), the prevailing soils in the Terceiro Planalto come from the weathering of alkaline basalts, whereas in Paraná’s northwestern portion, the soils are mainly derived from the alteration of the Caiuá sandstones. According to Santos et al. (2018), the soil classification in this region includes Argissolo Vermelho Distrófico e Eutrófico (Dystrophic and Eutrophic Acrisols, Lixisols and Alisols), Latossolo Vermelho Distroférrico, Distrófico and Eutroférrico (Dystroferric, Dystrophic and Eutroferric Ferralsols), and Nitossolo Vermelho Eutroférrico (Eutroferric Nitisols, Lixisols and Alisols).
In terms of hydrology, the territory under analysis encompasses a region traversed by two main catchment areas: the Ivaí River Basin and the Piquiri River Basin. The northern portion of the study area, including parts of the municipalities of Cruzeiro do Oeste and Tuneiras do Oeste, is drained by the Ivaí Basin, the second-largest hydrographic basin in the state of Paraná. Within this basin, and in the regional context of the study area, the main watercourses include the Rio dos Índios, Rio das Antas, and Rio São Vicente (IAT, 2016). In turn, the Piquiri River Basin encompasses the entirety of the municipalities within the studied territory. Its main watercourse, the Piquiri River – after which the basin is named – receives contributions from significant tributaries in the study area, notably the Goioerê River, which f lows into the right bank of the Piquiri River (Soares, 2005). The regional hydrography is characterized by a river network that exerts a significant inf luence on the shaping of the relief. As it f lows over a basaltic substrate, the Goioerê River forms high-volume waterfalls, such as Salto Paiquerê and Cascata do Pinhal. Near the confluence of the Goioerê and Piquiri rivers, in the southern portion of the study area, basalt rapids known as the Apertados do Rio Piquiri are observed within the Piquiri River.
3. Methodology
The adopted methodology is based on a bibliographic review of the literature that addresses the abiotic context of the study’s region and other localities that may have similar interests to those of this study. It focuses on books, articles, theses, dissertations, monographs, official documents, and studies with geodiversity, geoheritage, geoconservation, geology, geomorphology, physical geography, paleontology, geopark, and others as their main subject.
For map creation, we used the program QGIS 3.26 to treat and compose the data from the acquisition of the raster of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), extraction of the landform-shading map, and later lineament extraction. For vector composition, we used the shapefiles made available by Serviço Geológico do Brasil (SGB), Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), and Agência Nacional das Águas. For spatial analysis, we used satellite images accessed through Google Earth and the Basemaps plugin to access Google Satellite.
The present study adopted the inventory methodology proposed by Brilha (2016) as its theoretical and methodological framework, adapting it to the specific characteristics of the study region. This region was previously identified by the Municipal Government of Cruzeiro do Oeste in collaboration with the municipalities of Mariluz, Tuneiras do Oeste, and Alto Piquiri. For the purposes of this paper, the initial stages of the methodology were implemented, as detailed below, while subsequent stages will not be addressed in the current work.
According to Brilha (2016) geosites possess Scientific Value (SV). Their inventory process involves several steps, including the review of geological literature, consultation with experts who have worked or are currently working in the study area, and the preparation of a list of potential sites. Geosites and field investigations to identify new sites. Concerning the geosites on the preliminary list, the bibliographic review involved a systematic search and analysis of scientific articles, technical reports, theses, dissertations, official documents, maps, and audiovisual materials (including television advertisements and social media content) relevant to the areas of scientific interest. At this stage, the publication of relevant scientific articles concerning both geosites was verified, along with media coverage of the paleontological site of Cruzeiro do Oeste in popular science platforms such as National Geographic. Moreover, national and international journals. Subsequently, field campaigns were carried out in four distinct periods – October 2023, April 2024, August 2024, and November 2024 – with the aim of performing in situ identification and characterization of the previously listed geosites.
Geodiversity sites, in turn, are assessed based on their Educational Value (EV) and Touristic Value (TV). The inventory process for these sites also begins with a review of geological literature, complemented by the analysis of online platforms dedicated to educational activities and tourism materials. Based on this, a list of potential sites for both values is developed. Fieldwork is then conducted to identify new sites and qualitatively assess the listed locations according to specific criteria. In the case of sites with educational potential, the criteria include didactic potential, geological diversity, accessibility, and safety. For sites with touristic value, the criteria considered are scenic attributes, interpretative potential, accessibility, and safety.
For the geodiversity sites investigated, videos and social media posts by tourists promoting the geoheritage of Salto Paiquerê, Cascata do Pinhal, and the Apertados do Rio Piquiri rapids were identified. In addition, travel blog entries and reports on regional news websites referencing these areas of interest were identified. Field campaigns conducted in October 2023, April 2024, August 2024, and November 2024 aimed to identify and characterize in situ the locations of interest previously included in both lists.
About the site of ecological interest, the Perobas Biological Reserve, its biotic importance was considered, as it supports academic and scientific research on local fauna and flora species. The procedure for describing its characteristics was based on literature reviews as well as the analysis of scientific publications, laws, regulations, and official documents issued by municipal, state, and federal authorities. A field survey was conducted in November 2024 in partnership with the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB).
Concerning the site of historical-cultural interest, the Alexandre Gustavo Dobruski Paleontological Museum of Cruzeiro do Oeste is recognized as an institution of significant scientific, historical, cultural, touristic, and educational relevance. The museum, considered an ex situ element, plays a crucial role in the safeguarding and dissemination of the geoheritage prospected from the Cruzeiro do Oeste Paleontological Site. Its characterization was based on the analysis of scientific articles published in both national and international journals, complemented by an examination of its coverage in regional news outlets.
4. Characterization of geosites, geodiversity sites and other places of interest
4.1. GEOSITES
4.1.1. CRUZEIRO DO OESTE PALEONTOLOGICAL SITE
The bone bed deposit, as described by Fortes et al. (2024), consists of quartz sandstones with sandy facies sequences with about 90% fine grains. On the top and the base, the fossil layer is limited by sandstone facies with wind-generated large-scaled cross-stratifications that indicate that old dunes migrated toward the western quadrant. This site is remarkable for harboring fossils that reveal the paleontological history of Paraná from the Cretaceous period, because among the identified species are the first dinosaurs recorded in Paraná, Vespersaurus paranaensis, described by Langer et al. (2019); Berthasaura leopoldinae, described by Souza et al. (2021); and Gueragama sulamericana, an acrodont iguanid lizard that until recently was known to have inhabited only the Old World according to Simões et al. (2015). Moreover, there is a unique record of a pterosaur community, of which three species have already been described: Caiuajara dobruskii (Manzig et al. 2014), Keresdrakon vilsoni (Kellner, et al., 2019), and the most recent, Torukjara bandeirae, described by Pêgas (2024) (Figure 2). The Cruzeiro do Oeste Paleontological Site received a cover over a metallic structure to allow paleontologists to work on rainy days and, at the same time, protect the site from the direct action of rain.1
1 Bone bed refers to concentrated deposits of skeletal elements. Rogers et al. (2007).
4.1.2. DUNES OF THE PAST
According to Sá et al. (2021), the rock outcrop in the Caiuá Group associated with the Goio Erê formation consists predominantly of fine quartz sandstones with carbonate cementation in the playa lake lithofacies. This outcrop has a lateral extension of about 250 m and can reach up to 12 m in height. At the base, the sedimentary sequence is characterized by thin, reddish sandstones with wedge-cross structures interpreted as foresets of small-sized dunes. The outcrop consists of six main lithofacies units: playa lake (pl), dry interdunes (ds), wet interdunes (ws), sand sheets (ss), dune foresets (df), and channel bars (cb). As described by Sá et al. (2021), calcretes in the sequence suggest the existence of hydroplastic conditions, possibly associated with oscillations in the level of the water table. This would have favored the formation of overlapping carbonate crusts, characteristic of this depositional environment (Figures 3 and 4).
4.2. GEODIVERSITY SITES
The Paraná Sedimentary Basin, as described by Gabaglia and Milani (1991), is classified as an intracratonic basin, characterized by the accumulation of sedimentary and volcanic rocks over the continental crust. It spans portions of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. Extending across the southern region of Brazil, the basin is marked by extensive basaltic lava flows, with thicknesses reaching up to 1 700 meters. These volcanic flows are intrinsically linked to plate tectonic dynamics that led to continental rifting and the subsequent opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Magma, transported to the Earth’s surface through geological faults, solidified upon contact with the atmosphere, forming basaltic rocks. These basaltic formations, products of such volcanism, currently shape the regional landscape, giving rise to prominent geomorphological features such as Salto Paiquerê, Cascata do Pinhal, and the Apertados do Piquiri rapids.
The Paraná sedimentary basin is crossed by a complex network of structural lineaments, which have been intermittently active since the beginning of their formation, with orientation predominantly in the NW-SE, E-W, and NE-SW directions (Stevaux and Latrubesse, 2009). This volcanic and neotectonic context is associated with the process of rifting that separated South America and Africa (Zalán et al., 1987). This process resulted in the formation of thick basal flows and the frequent presence of diabase dikes and sills in the region.
Supporting this interpretation, Saadi (1993) states that the NW-SE lineaments in the Paraná Basin represent continental extensions of tectonic structures highlighted by the geomorphological compartmentation and segmentation of the drainage network.
Stevaux and Latrubesse (2009) indicate that this process formed a basalt plateau about 1 km thick composed of successive flows of basalt lava, currently arranged as steps. These tectonic lineaments, which represent continental extensions of larger structures, influence the region’s geomorphology significantly, delimiting geomorphological compartments and orienting the drainage networks. They form waterfall systems and rapids through the control of lineaments and the different resistances to erosion by the microcrystalline and amygdaloid portions of the flows (Barcha and Arid, 1975; Saadi, 1993).
4.2.1. PAIQUERÊ WATERFALL
Salto Paiquerê is a waterfall approximately 20 meters in height and 100 meters in width, located along the Goioerê River, a right-bank tributary of the Piquiri River. The site’s lithology is composed of basalts belonging to the Serra Geral Group, associated with the magmatic event linked to the breakup of Gondwana. In the upper portion, vesicular basalts are observed, while the central portion is characterized by massive basalts exhibiting a well-developed columnar jointing system. Along the riverbed, significant erosional features such as potholes (marmitas) are present, formed by the abrasive action of water flow interacting with pebbles within fractured rock substrates.
The height drop occurs at a lineament with an ENE-WSW direction, in the same striking of several tributaries of water courses in this region, which is intercepted by another structure with a WNW-ESE direction (Figure 5b). At this crossing of structures at the east (left) margin of the Goioerê River, the terrain becomes even lower and, in this stretch, the water flows with the largest volume (Figure 5c). The evolution of this waterfall most likely occurred due to the northward retreat of the cliff walls within each step, which was about the same structural direction. The Goioerê River has other rapids and drops, especially upstream from the waterfall, that follow the same directions mentioned for the tectonic lineaments. The development of the whole river basin, over the basalts of the Serra Geral Group and the products of weathering conditions (iron oxides and hydroxides) makes the waters of this waterfall muddy and reddish during the moments of higher flow. The Paiquerê Waterfall lies at the political-administrative limit between the municipalities of Mariluz and Alto Piquiri (Souza et al., 2016).
4.2.2. APERTADOS DO PIQUIRI
The Apertados do Piquiri rapids developed over highly fractured basalts of the Serra Geral Group (Souza et al., 2016), with an evolution certainly related to a main lineament (zone of high ruptile deformation) oriented in an NNE-SSW direction and intercepted by structures in the E-W directions. Besides curved patterns possibly connected to the patterns of lava streams during the basalt flow. The preferential water flow across the NNE-SSW lineament causes a significant narrowing of the Piquiri River, from 260 m to only 30 m in width, creating a 1 400 m-long canyon surrounded by basalt outcrops (Figures 6a and 6d). On these outcrops, numerous potholes of fluvial abrasion evidence the importance of tectonic structures in the wear process of the basalt massif since such detailed geomorphological features are notably dependent on fractures for their development (Figures 6b and 6c).
4.2.3. PINHAL WATERFALL
This waterfall is located on a right-bank tributary of the Goioerê River, downstream from Salto Paiquerê. The lithological context is analogous to that of the surrounding region, characterized by basic volcanic rocks of the Serra Geral Group. The geological structure of the waterfall consists of massive basalts exhibiting columnar jointing, while the upper portion is marked by the presence of vesicular basalts. Along the watercourse, massive basalts are observed, with sandstone dikes filling small fractures. The waterfall is approximately 18 meters in height and developed along a drop controlled by a NNE-SSW-oriented lineament, with progressive northwestward retreat of the waterfall face (Figure 7).
4.3. ECOLOGICAL INTEREST SITE
4.3.1. PEROBAS BIOLOGICAL RESERVE
The Perobas Biological Reserve (Figure 8), established by the Decree of 20 March 2006, is recognized as a site of significant ecological interest, representing the largest remaining area of native forest in the northwestern region of the state of Paraná. Covering an area of 8 716 hectares, the reserve is situated within the Atlantic Forest biome, geologically underlain by sandstone substrates of the Caiuá Group, and constitutes a transitional zone between the Semidecidual Seasonal Forest and Mixed Ombrophilous Forest (Araucaria Forest). In 2008, it was recognized as a nucleus zone of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. According to ICMBio (2023), the reserve harbors 168 plant species, of which 18 are rare or threatened according to international lists.
4.4. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SITE
4.4.1. ALEXANDRE GUSTAVO DOBRUSKI PALEONTOLOGY MUSEUM
The Alexandre Gustavo Dobruski Paleontology Museum, established by Municipal Law n° 7/2019 and inaugurated in June of the same year, is located in the building of the old forum of Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná. This building was lent to the municipal administration by the Government of the state of Paraná for three decades. The institution harbors a paleontology laboratory, which was essential for discovering the first dinosaur recorded in Paraná. The museum’s collection contains a series of rare fossils of significant international relevance from the Cruzeiro do Oeste Paleontological Site (Figure 9). The Alexandre Gustavo Dobruski Paleontological Museum plays a prominent role in education and scientific geotourism (Figure 9). The guided visitations promoted by the museum are fundamental to understanding the exposed fossils, and the institution dedicates itself to organizing courses, workshops, lectures, and varied events, all aiming to spread knowledge in paleontology. According to information from the museum’s administration, the number of visitors since the museum’s opening reached about 50 025 thousand people. This information reflects the growing importance of this museum as a learning center and tourist attraction in the region.
5. Final considerations
The northwestern region of Paraná displays geoheritage of significant scientific, educational, touristic, ecological, and historical-cultural value. Geodiversity sites such as Salto Paiquerê, with its high-volume waterfall flowing over basaltic bedrock; Cascata do Pinhal, characterized by its clear water stream; and the Apertados do Piquiri rapids, which exhibit erosive features in the form of potholes, form distinct geomorphological landscapes. The geosites, in turn, are represented by the Paleontological Site, identified by a fossiliferous bone bed of remarkable relevance to the Cretaceous paleontology of Paraná, due to the occurrence of dinosaur, pterosaur, and lizard fossils; and by the sandstone outcrop known as “Dune of the Past.”
Moreover, the ecological interest site, the Perobas Biological Reserve, contributes significantly to the environmental and ecological importance of the region, hosting a diversity of native species that thrive on a sandstone-based substrate. The Alexandre Gustavo Dobruski Paleontological Museum, as a site of historical and cultural significance, plays a fundamental role in the protection and dissemination of the regional fossil record, while also promoting education and scientific geotourism. It thus represents the designated historical and cultural heritage site.
These sites reinforce the value of geoheritage and underscore the need for their adequate protection and management to ensure geoconservation and foster scientific, educational, and geotouristic engagement. The inventory of these geosites, geodiversity sites, and ecological and historical-cultural interest locations provides a foundation for the development of the Caiuá Geopark Project, in alignment with UNESCO guidelines for the protection and valorization of geological heritage.
Contributions of authors
(1) Conceptualization: MLC, SJP; (2) Analysis or data acquisition: MLC, SJP, BAW; (3) Methodological/technical development: MLC, SJP; (4) Writing of the original manuscript: MLC, SJP, BAW; (5) Writing of the corrected and edited manuscript: MLC, SJP, BAW; (6) Graphic design: MLC; (7) Field work: MLC, SJP, BAW; (8) Interpretation: MLC, SJP, BAW; (9) Financing: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).
Financing
The first author received scholarship support from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). The project is financed by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) through Process 407357/2023-8.
Acknowledgements
We thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq for the financial support granted through Process 407357/2023-8. We also thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for a master’s scholarship that was essential to continue the studies and enable academic improvement. These supports were fundamental to conducting this work and strengthening research.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest.
Handling editor
Grace Bungenstab Alves.
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