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| Plateaus of Brazil | |
|---|---|
| Name | Brazilian Plateaus |
| Country | Brazil |
| Region | South America |
Plateaus of Brazil are extensive upland regions that shape the topography of Brazil and influence the landscapes of South America. These uplands include diverse geomorphological units associated with the Amazon Basin, Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Pampa (Rio Grande do Sul), and Mato Grosso highlands, linking to continental features such as the Guiana Shield and the Brazilian Shield. Plateaus play roles in hydrology for rivers like the Amazon River, Araguaia River, Paraná River, and São Francisco River and intersect with administrative states including Minas Gerais, Bahia, São Paulo (state), Goiás, Maranhão, and Pará.
Brazilian uplands extend across the South American Plate and include the Planalto Brasileiro margins adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. Major concentrations occur in the Central Highlands (Brazil), the Guiana Highlands, and the southern Serra Geral, with outliers in Roraima, Amapá, Tocantins, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Rio Grande do Sul. These plateaus form watersheds feeding the Amazon Basin, the Pantanal Wetlands, and the La Plata Basin, influencing river systems such as the Xingu River, Tapajós River, and Paraná River. Political regions intersecting these uplands include Distrito Federal, Pernambuco, Ceará, Pará state, and Santa Catarina.
Many Brazilian uplands sit on the ancient Precambrian craton components of the Amazonian craton and the São Francisco Craton and are overlain by sedimentary sequences tied to events like the Cambrian and Devonian transgressions. The basement comprises granite, gneiss, and schist formations related to orogenies such as the Brasiliano orogeny and the Transamazonian orogeny. Volcanic provinces linked to the Paraná Basin and the Serra Geral Formation produced large basalt plateaus during the Cretaceous associated with the South Atlantic opening and the breakup of Gondwana. Laterite crusts and ferruginous duricrusts formed under tropical weathering, affecting soils like oxisols and ultisols found across Minas Gerais and Bahia.
Northern highlands include the Guiana Highlands with table mountains near Mount Roraima and plateaus in Roraima state and Amapá. In the central region, the Planalto Central and Chapada dos Veadeiros link to Goiás and Distrito Federal. Eastern escarpments include the Espinhaço Range and the Serra do Espinhaço in Minas Gerais and Bahia, and the Chapada Diamantina in Bahia. Southern plateaus encompass the Serra Gaúcha, Campos Gerais, and the Pampa-adjacent highlands of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Western uplands include the Chapada dos Guimarães in Mato Grosso and the Chapada dos Parecis bordering Rondônia and Mato Grosso. Plateau names also reflect protected areas like the Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Guimarães, and Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina.
Climatic regimes over plateaus vary from equatorial monsoon conditions near Amazonas (state) and Pará to tropical savanna (Aw) over the Cerrado and subtropical climates in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Vegetation mosaics include Cerrado biome savannas, Atlantic Forest fragments, Caatinga scrublands, montane forests, and tepui-associated ecosystems in the Guiana Shield. These areas support biodiversity hotspots with endemic taxa recorded by institutions such as the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Museu Nacional (Brazil), and research programs linked to Embrapa and universities like the University of São Paulo and Federal University of Minas Gerais.
Human occupation of the uplands spans Indigenous territories of groups in the Tupi–Guarani and Xavante families, colonial-era bandeirantes expeditions connected to São Paulo (city) and mining booms around Ouro Preto and Diamantina. Modern settlement patterns reflect agrarian fronts, urban centers such as Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Goiânia, Cuiabá, Porto Alegre, and Curitiba, and infrastructure corridors including the BR-163 and BR-364 highways, Ferrovia Norte-Sul, and riverine navigation on the Madeira River. Land use includes cattle ranching on the Cerrado, soybean cultivation tied to exporters like Bunge and Amaggi, iron ore mining by companies such as Vale S.A. and Anglo American, and hydroelectric reservoirs on rivers feeding projects like the Itaipu Dam and Balbina Dam.
Plateau regions are centers for mining of iron ore in Minas Gerais, gold in historical districts like Serro and Diamantina, bauxite in Pará and Amapá, and manganese in Minas Gerais and Paraíba. Agriculture includes mechanized soybean, corn, and cotton production in Mato Grosso and meatpacking industries concentrated in Santa Catarina and Mato Grosso do Sul supplied by companies such as JBS S.A. and Marfrig. Hydropower schemes utilize plateau watersheds and are managed by utilities like Eletrobras; forestry plantations of Eucalyptus support firms like Suzano and Fibria Corporations (now part of Suzano). Geotourism and cultural heritage industries in Ouro Preto, Chapada dos Veadeiros, and Chapada Diamantina contribute to regional economies with visitors from Rio de Janeiro (city), São Paulo (city), and international markets.
Upland ecosystems face pressures from deforestation tied to agricultural expansion, mining impacts such as tailings breaches exemplified by incidents near Brumadinho and Mariana dam collapse, and hydrological alterations from dams affecting riparian habitats in the Pantanal and Amazon. Conservation responses include protected areas under the ICMBio network, state parks like the Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, restoration projects by NGOs such as SOS Mata Atlântica and WWF-Brazil, and legal frameworks adjudicated in courts including the Supreme Federal Court (Brazil). Scientific monitoring involves collaborations with institutions such as CONAB, IBAMA, Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), and international research consortia affiliated with UNESCO biosphere reserves and IPBES assessments. Ongoing challenges include balancing commodity supply chains linked to multinational corporations like Cargill and BASF with Indigenous land rights recognized in FUNAI processes and climate mitigation commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Category:Plateaus