ESTUDO DO POTENCIAL GEOTURÍSTICO DO PATRIMÔNIO MINEIRO DA SERRA DE OURO PRETO, SUDESTE DO QUADRILÁTERO FERRÍFERO, MG

Abstract

The Ouro Preto and Mariana region, located in the southern portion of the Iron Quadrangle, Minas Gerais, hosted the nucleation of the first urban centers in the central region of the state due to the Gold rush in the eighteenth century. The southern edge of the Mariana anticline had several gold mines that were closed after the end of the exploration of gold. Today, the region is an archaeological, historical, scientific and cultural record, closely associated with the local geology. This article aims the creation of a geoitinerary in the southern edge of the Mariana anticline, also named Ouro Preto Ridge, based on the inventory of the mining and geological heritage of the geosites of this region, done with the date gathering in field visits. The mining galleries were highlight in this research, because they are classified as geosites according to parameters of touristic, social and environmental relevance. The visits to the geosites made the diagnostic of their situation about the heritage preservation and your relationship to touristic and environmental parameters possible. After the ending of this research, extension programs will be conducted with the local community in order to disseminate the importance of such geosites and their potential to promote a sustainable socio-economic development for the region. Therefore, through the promotion of research and extension programs involving the creation of a geoitinerary in the region, local communities can develop and rescue their identity, creating sustainable development mechanisms based on geotouristic practices.

Keywords: Geoconservation; Mining Heritage; Georoute