An urban geotourism rout in the city of Recife (PE), based on fossiliferous stones

Abstract

Urban geotourism itineraries have been widely publicized in recent years, since as a large part of the population resides in large cities, in addition to geological sites, the rocks covering historical and architectural monuments can be used for geoscientific diffusion. As a result, the present work proposes a geotourism itinerary, based on fossiliferous stones, which begins at the reef of Marco Zero, proceeding through the buildings and monuments of Recife (PE), with the objective of disseminating geoscientific knowledge. The choice of the itinerary took into account the geological, paleontological, historical and cultural importance in an area easily accessible to the public. The reef of Marco Zero (beach sandstone, beachrock), represents a coastline formed in the last transgression of the Brazilian coast, in the Holocene, with a relative sea level higher than the current about 2m. The rest of the itinerary [Walls of Rua Barão Rodrigues Mendes, Synagogue Kahal Zur Israel (Rock of Israel), Church of Madre de Deus, Golden Chapel, Church of the Divine Holy Spirit (Former Calvinist of the French), São José Market, Church Matriz do Santíssimo Sacramento de Santo Antônio, Igreja Matriz do Espirito Santo da Boa Vista and Colégio Presbiteriano Agnes Ershine] are spaces with the presence of fossiliferous stones. In this itinerary, the following sedimentary rocks and their respective fossils stand out: Lioz limestone (Rudistas † Radiolites and † Caprinula), beach sandstone and limestone from the Gramame Formation with bivalve molluscs. The dissemination of geodiversity will allow a new tourist and educational approach, adding greater geoscientific value and attracting different audiences.