Physiographic compartmentation and multithematic analysis applied to development geoenvironmental map: a case study in Espírito Santo do Pinhal and Santo Antonio do Jardim, São Paulo State, Brazil

Abstract

This article aims to present the developed studies for preparation of geoenvironmental mapping through physiographic subdivision and multithematic analysis, involving the correlation of physiographic units, of the use and occupation of land, the presence of permanent preservation areas and the map of intense average rainfall. The study area comprises the municipalities of Espírito Santo do Pinhal and Santo Antônio do Jardim, São Paulo State, located at the boundary between the Sedimentary Basin of Paraná and the crystalline basement in geological terms, and between the Atlantic Plateau, represented by the Mantiqueira Mountain, and Peripheral Depression, in the Mogi Guaçu river zone. This is an area known for organizing complex landscape, where there are problems related to dynamic surface processes, such as floods, erosion and mass movements. The studies were based on the definition of the physiographic units by the Zane’s methodological proposal (2011). For the definition of the Map of Geoenvironmental Units, the multithematic analysis was used to correlate physiographic units, use and occupation of land, the permanent preservation areas and intense average rainfall. To correlate the weights of the thematic maps the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used. It can be concluded from the results obtained that the methodological sequence used in this research can be developed with public cartographic products and images, being ideal for small and medium municipalities due to their low cost and relatively easiness of application.