Potential for the water spring of Rio Vieira and its surroundings: an interpretation of Geodiversity

Abstract

This paper considers the use of surveys in the fields of geology,geomorphology, speleology, pedology and hydrography, which make up geodiversity, as educational, touristic and interpretive resources in one of the main sources of Rio Vieira – which is located in the municipality of Montes Claros, in the north of the State of Minas Gerais - and its surroundings. Considering the specificity of this field of geodiversity, the objective of this study is to investigate the potentialities of the water springs of Rio Vieira and its surrounding areas through the inventory of geodiversity representative elements. The methodological approach consisted of concomitant phases: bibliographic survey, field work and mapping. The chosen area was inventoried, and local geodiversity was characterized.The inferences that have been drawn as well as the researcher´s findings made it possible to conclude that there is potential for the water spring of Rio Vieira and its surroundings to be perceived as geodiversity elements. It is expected that this work can contribute to other studies by providing them with subsidies and that a number of future research may be carried out in the area.