Patrimônio geológico e mineiro do Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais - Caracterização e iniciativas de uso para educação e geoturismo

Abstract

The Quadrilátero Ferrífero (Iron Quadrangle) - Minas Gerais/Brazil iswell-knownworldwide as one of theworld's largest mineral province. The region consists of rocks that showpart of Earth's history associated with the Archean and Paleoproterozoic, together with remains of more than 300 years of continuous mining, particularly gold and iron. The paper initially presents a general characterization of the Iron Quadrangle, considering its geology and mining history. Then, it describes thirteen sites representatives of the geological history, highlighting the relevance of its geological context and tectonic evolution for understanding of the Earth's history. The mining heritage is also described, detailing eleven sites that compose a significant part of the mining history of in Brazil. Finally, initiatives of geotourism and education initiatives developed in the region are presented.