The development of erosive features in cuesta relief regions

Abstract

The cuestas relief is characterized by its high slopes, colluvial deposits and intense dynamic, making the region especially prone to soil degradation. This study intends to identify how the relief, lithology and soils, influence the occurrence of linear erosion processes of hill erosion, ravines and gullies in the cuestas environments. For that, maps of the density of linear erosive features of 1972 and 2010/2011 were made, and then analyzed in comparison with the morphological features of the Cuesta in Botucatu map, also prepared in this study, and lithological and soil maps from secondary sources. Quantitative and qualitative analysis identified concentrations of gullies in the cuesta reverse, at drainage headwaters, close to lithological contacts and over latosols. On the cuesta front, concentrations of hills, ravines and small gullies were identified, driven by the slope, colluvial covers, and transitions of heterogeneous lithologies and soils. The data demonstrated that lithological and pedological transitions, typical of cuestas regions due to high geodiversity, in addition to other conditions, are factors that enhance erosive dynamics and must be considered in territorial planning in order to preserve soils and other natural resources of these regions.