QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF GALINHOS SPIT’S GEOMORPHOLOGICAL HERITAGE, NORTHERN PORTION OF THE COASTAL ZONE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE

Abstract

In the 90’s, at the height of discussions about the exploitation of natural resources and the search for sustainable development, the term “geodiversity” appears. At first, the therm was used in geological and geomorphological studies to describe physical characteristics of the planet. Since then, researches has been developed with the aim of presenting abiotic elements with scientific, educational, tourist, cultural and economic importance to societies, among others. In this perspective, the coastline stands out, composed of elements of unquestionable scenic beauty, which promotes the development of activities focused on the appreciation of geomorphological elements such as dunes, beaches and cliffs, for example. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the geomorphological heritage of the spit in Galinhos, RN, performed by abiotic elements with characteristics inherent to the theme presented. Therefore, the metodology used was the bibliographic research and photo analysis of the area for the selection of the elements and inventory, carried out through the application of the geodiversity characterization files. Thereby, it was concluded that the Galinhos spit is composed of representative elements of local geodiversity such as beaches, dunes, reefs and eolianites that are fundamental for the economic development of the county due mainly to the touristic activity.