Creation of Museums as Strategy for Preservation of the Fossil Heritage of Araripe Sedimentary Basin in Pernambuco, NE, Brazil

Authors

  • Alcina Magnólia Franca Barreto Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências, Departamento de Geologia, Laboratório de Paleontologia
  • José Bernardo Rodrigues Brilha Universidade do Minho, Departamento de Ciências da Terra, Braga
  • Rudah Ruano Cavalcanti Duque Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências, Departamento de Geologia, Laboratório de Paleontologia
  • Ludmila Cadeira do Prado Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências, Departamento de Geologia, Laboratório de Paleontologia
  • Priscilla Albuquerque Pereira Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências, Departamento de Geologia, Laboratório de Paleontologia
  • Rilda Cardoso Araripe Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências, Departamento de Geologia, Laboratório de Paleontologia
  • Anny Rafaela Araújo Carvalho Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências, Departamento de Geologia, Laboratório de Paleontologia
  • Aline Marcele Ghilardi Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências, Departamento de Geologia, Laboratório de Paleontologia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11137/2016_2_36_42

Keywords:

Museums, Paleontological heritage, Araripe Basin, State of Pernambuco

Abstract

The Araripe Basin portion located in the Pernambuco state of Brazil has excellent Santana Formation outcrops. This internationally known unit has provided some of the most important concretion preserved vertebrate fossils of the Lower Cretaceous (~110 Ma) Gondwana. Although this region has its potential for fossil collecting eased by the gypsum extraction in surface mines (known as the ‘Araripe Plast Pole'), there are currently no fossil Patrimony preservation actions in the area. Given both the mining and paleontological potentials of these localities it is relevant to develop programmes, projects, and measures to promote its natural resources for educational, touristic, social, and sustainable porpuses. Here we propose the creation of paleontological museums in some of the Araripe municipalities within the Pernambuco state. These museums will be strategic for the sustainability of these resources to generate culture and profit for this region. These museums will also preserve the ‘Earth's paleobiological memory' by protecting our fossils for future generations.

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Published

2016-06-23

Issue

Vol. 39 No. 2 (2016)

Section

não definida

License

This journal is licensed under a Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.