Drainage anomalies and landscape evolution in the Paraiba do Sul middle valley (RJ/SP)

Abstract

The evolution of the drainage system is driven by influence structural and changes in the climatic regime resulting in specific morphological features. We studied one of these features - drainage anomalies - in the middle valley of Paraíba do Sul River (RJ/SP), the influence exerted by the lithology and geological structures and the mechanism of the drainage system rearrangement. We identified many morphotectonic features (knickpoints, flat drainage dividers, and low drainage dividers with or without drainage capture) using topographic charts and a geomorphological map Silva (2002), and we also analyzed their spatial distribution to establish a reliable relationship between the drainage anomalies and the substract characteristics. Most of the drainage anomalies identified are located in the Paraíba do Sul Middle Valley Intra-plateau Depression (Depressão Interplanáltica Médio Paraíba do Sul - DIMPS) and show a significant structural control.