Serra do Mar: The Most “Tormented” Relief in Brazil

Abstract

The Serra do Mar is a system of escarpments and mountains that stretch more than 1,500 km between the states of Santa Catarina and Rio de Janeiro with a general ENE orientation. It has high lithological and structural complexity along its entire length, with some stretches quite recessed from the coast and some very close to it. It caught the attention of explorers as early as the eighteenth century, and its origin and evolution have always intrigued researchers, particularly after the 1930s, when more systematic studies on the lithology and formation of the sedimentary basins that surround it were undertaken. With its wide variation in altitude, high slopes, and high rainfall volumes, as well as the fact that it includes, Brazil’s largest area of Atlantic Forest, the Serra do Mar has always been a “barrier” to be overcome, as it is situated between the country’s major urban centers and its main ports.