KARST STUDIES AS A SUBSIDY FOR OCCUPATION AND MINING ACTIVITIES AT INTERVALES STATE PARK (PEI) AND SURROUNDINGS REGION

The PEI and its surroundings located at southeastern of São Paulo State (Brazil). At the northwestern portion of the park and its surroundings cabornate rocks of the Lajeado Subgroup (Neoproterozoic) are present with associated karst system and caves development. The geologic compartment of that unit is well known due to the presence of mining ventures that exploit mainly carbonate rocks for the production of cement, though the carbonate sequence have not been the focus of previous studies on the karst system. Besides mining, the region also presents a show up to agricultural activities and tourism, mostly speleological at the park and surroundings. It is known that karst terrains are highly susceptible areas to environmental and anthropic impacts, and the characterization of this kind of system is fundamental for its preservation and optimization of its use. Brazil's recent rapid economic growth and the demand for new mining areas has a breakthrough on karst system at the region before any basic studies on it. Allied to it, changes on the Brazilian environment laws in 2009 made possible caves suppression, once forbidden. There are about 85 known caves at the region, totaling 15,600 meters of conducts. Nowadays there are 45 mining enterprises in activity and 44 are in research process. This study will provide a detailed survey of the karst of that region, with emphasis at geomorphology, geospeleology and the land use, which were compiled in a map prepared in a GIS environment, containing the current and real situation of the karst region of PEI and its surroundings and compared with information obtained during the Management Plan, held in 2007, offering a new perspective on the land use of that region to understand the behavior of karst and its vulnerability. The results of this research could help the management bureaus providing the basis for the public politcs and territorial ordinance in this area.