Mining and geoconservation: the paleontological site of Santa Rosa de Viterbo, SP

Abstract

Fossiliferous deposits are assets of the Union, and the DNPM (National Department of Mineral Production) is responsible for controlling their extraction in the country, for providing means to ensure that the paleontological heritage is protected, and for preventing illegal collection of fossils. The DNPM also resolves conflicts between the legal extraction of mineral resources and the protection of fossils of great scientific or cultural value. With this objective in mind, the Inspection Board of DNPM implemented a monitoring program in São Paulo State for identifying areas where mining is in conflict with the preservation of the fossils already known by the geoscientific community. This program prioritized the inspection of limestone quarries in São Paulo State where Permian rocks of the Irati Subgroup (Paraná Basin) are mined. These fossil deposits are of scientific interest and educational relevance due to the presence of mesosaurus, invertebrates and trace fossils. The inspection found no significant conflict between extraction activity and fossil preservation, although in the Santa Rosa de Viterbo quarry, an exceptional situation in relation to other quarries was found: the occurrence of well-preserved domal stromatolites of metric sizes, whose deposit is being mined for soil corrective. The Permian stromatolitic deposits that outcrop in the Santa Rosa de Viterbo quarry are the only known occurrences of the Paraná Basin and are also rare when compared to other world Phanerozoic calcareous deposits. Faced with the need to ensure that the site where these rare fossils have been found is effectively preserved, the DNPM imposed a ban on mining in an area of about 680 m² located in a inactive part of the concession area, preserving representative exposures of the deposit, protecting the area against mining operations, and allowing easy access to the preserved area. This demonstrates that geoconservation initiatives are feasible in mining areas and that cooperation among government, mining sector and geoscientific community should be sought.