Geosciences
IBGE releases publication on the 3rd Technical Excursion of the Brazilian Relief Classification System
August 06, 2025 10h00 AM | Last Updated: August 07, 2025 10h29 AM
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) launched, today (6), the publication Montanhas e Planaltos da Borborema, Superfície Sertaneja e Inselbergs da Paraíba (Mountains and Highlands of Borborema, Semi-Arid Hinterland Surface and Inselbergs of Paraíba), with the guide and discussions of the 3rd Technical Excursion of the Brazilian Relief Classification System (SBCR). The launch took place during the VI Workshop on Geomorphological Cartography of the XV National Geomorphology Symposium (SINAGEO), at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), in Natal (RN).
Considered the main event on this topic in the country, SINAGEO is organized by the Brazilian Geomorphological Union (UGB) and gathers specialists to discuss the trends and advances of geomorphological research in Brazil. The event also is also a platform for the launch of new works linked to the SBCR, an initiative coordinated by the IBGE since 2019, in partnership with the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB), the UGB and a number of universities.
Rosangela Botelho, Head of the Physical Means Sector, highlighted that, with this publication, the IBGE carries on the registry of field expeditions held within the SBCR, starting in 2022, when the first SBCR Technical Excursion which crossed part of the mountains in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The second excursion, called “Adentrando a Planície Pantaneira” (Entering the Pantanal Plain), took place in 2023, in the cities of Campo Grande and Corumbá, in Mato Grosso do Sul.
“Technical excursions are part of a strategy to share with the society the advances of the SBCR and an opportunity to present its concepts and criteria to all people interested in this topic, based on direct observation and a discussion on the forms of relief and of related processes in different areas of Brazil,” Botelho explained.
Held in October 2024, in the context of the XX Brazilian Symposium of Applied Physical Geography and of the IV Portuguese-African American Meeting of Physical Geography and Environment, held in João Pessoa (PB), the excursion gathered 24 participants, including teachers/researchers, graduate and undergraduate students of different national and international institutions.
The route covered the capital João Pessoa and the city of Teixeira, in the state of Paraíba, crossing mountains, plains, lowered surfaces and inselbergs., alongside BR-230. The main observation points were: 1. Planalto da Borborema (Borborema Plain), in Campina Grande in the Agreste Paraibano Mesoregion; 2. Relief controled by Lineamento Patos, in Junco do Seridó, in the Mesorregion of Borborema; 3. Superfície Rebaixada (Superfície Sertaneja) and Inselbergs in Santa Luzia, in the Mesorregion of Borborema; 4. Campos de Inselbergs, in Patos, in the Sertão Paraibano Mesorregion; and 5. Montanhas da Borborema (Borborema Mountains), in Pedra do Tendó Belvedere, in Teixeira, in the Sertão Paraibano Mesorregion.
The publication has a presentation about Borborema, with a focus on the route covered by the excursion. It also presents an overview of the geographic coverage and land use in the state of Paraíba between 2000 and 2020. The stopping points are detailed, including discussions and reflections promoted in the field, with a highlight to forms of relief, its gene classification. The final considerations approach the diverse forms of relief observed during the excursion and the perspectives of geological mapping in the area, according to the SBCR.
The head of the Physical Environment Sector further explained that, through this process, "IBGE reaffirms its commitment to the preservation and dissemination of Brazilian geomorphological knowledge, whose path has been expanding since the creation of the SBCR six years ago. Furthermore, because it adopts accessible language and is well illustrated, the publication can be used to support scientific, educational, and tourist excursions in the region."
It is worth mentioning that the "4th Technical Excursion of the Brazilian Relief Classification System will take place on August 8, 2025, within the scope of the XV National Geomorphology Symposium – SINAGEO. The itinerary, departing from Natal and heading south along the coast, will allow participants to explore and observe the Tablelands and Plains of the Eastern Potiguar Coast," emphasizes Rosangela Botelho.
