Geological Travel

Brazil Tours / Geology - The Paraná Basin which was installed southeast of the Atlantic Shield is one of the sedimentary basins (syneclises) of the South American Platform. It occupies an area of about 1.500.000 sqare kilometers in South and Southeast Brazil such as parts of Paraguay, Argentine and Uruguay.

During the Phanerozoic ( < 542 Ma ), the basin which in its centre reaches a depth of 7.000 m (above the Precambrian basement), was filled with marine sediments (period of marine floodings), eolic sands (period of megadeserts) and magma (period of volcanic lava flows).

While the oldest formations (Rio Ivaí) are exposed at the basin's border, the most recent formations (Bauru) are exposed in its center. Of particular importance is the Gondwana III sequence (150 - 130 Ma) that contains the Serra Geral volcanic flood basalts (Serra Geral Formation) which were installed above the eolic sandstones of the Pirambóia and Botucatu paleodeserts.

This formation is the result of the most voluminous vulcanic event known on earth and the main ecotouristic attraction in South Brazil (e.g. National Parks São Joaquim, Serra Geral, Aparados da Serra or Iguaçu).