Parana Basin Research Articles

Insights into organic matter source and depositional environments of shales from the Ponta Grossa Formation in Parana basin, Brazil

Marine transgression events and plant species' evolution to terrestrial environments increased the amount of organic matter in sediments during the Devonian Period. Subsequently, a bituminous material known as shale was formed, containing organic compounds that enable the reconstruction of environmental conditions from previous eras. These rock formation events are recorded worldwide, however, in the Ponta Grossa Formation, southern Brazil, a deeper understanding of samples from the Devonian Period is necessary. The goal of this study was to understand the regional environmental conditions, the origin of the organic matter, and the degree of maturation of the bituminous material. Shale samples were collected from an outcrop on the eastern border of the Paraná Basin and processed in the laboratory to obtain the saturated hydrocarbons fraction posteriorly analyzed. The results indicate a poorly oxygenated environment, with various salinity levels, mixed organic sources, and a high thermal maturity of the samples. The analysis of compound hydrocarbons elucidates the environmental conditions during the Devonian Period in the Ponta Grossa Formation, providing inferences applicable to the stratigraphic interval represented by this record and within the domain of the sampled area.

Climate change in the Upper Paraguay Basin and hydrological impacts on the Pantanal

ABSTRACT This study analyzed the impact of climate change on the hydrological conditions of the Upper Paraguay Basin, which has as its outlet the river channel in the municipality of Cáceres – Mato Grosso, Brazil, close to the plateau/Pantanal plain divide. Using the SWAT+ hydrological model and projections from the HADGEM and MIROC models, different flow scenarios were simulated under radiative concentration thresholds (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. The results showed an average annual reduction of 44.07% in HADGEM 4.5, 51.00% in HADGEM 8.5, 37.35% in MIROC 4.5, and 39.12% in MIROC 8.5 inflows. The results are crucial for the management of water resources, the operation of the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, and the resilience of the ecosystem, helping decision-making and management considering the predicted climate and hydrological changes.

Hypostomus khimaera Tencatt, Zawadzki & Fröehlich, 2014 (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) in the upper rio Paraná basin, Brazil: first record and comments on its occurrence

Hypostomus khimaera Tencatt, Zawadzki & Fröehlich, 2014 is a species native to the rio Paraguay basin, but it is recorded here from the upper rio Paraná basin for the first time. Our new record was made in the córrego Mimoso, a tributary of the rio Anhanduí, approximately 180 km from the closest previously reported locality. We are unsure whether the occurrence of this species in the upper rio Paraná basin is a consequence of natural phenomena, such as headwater connection during floods or stream capture, or an artificial introduction. Together with the invasive H. cochliodon Kner, 1854, H. khimaera is the second species of the H. cochliodon group recorded in the upper rio Paraná basin. Here, we provide an updated diagnosis of H. khimaera and highlight the differences in opercle exposition as the easiest way to differentiate it from the syntopic and morphologically similar H. cochliodon.  

Lipid biomarker profile of the Permian organic-rich shales (Irati Formation) in the northernmost of Parana Basin, Brazil.

The Irati Formation (Paraná Basin) is a mixed carbonate and organic-rich shale sequence intruded by Jurassic-Cretaceous basic rocks, featuring Brazil's most important oil shale deposits with different maturity levels. For the first time, the distribution of oil shale biomarkers from an outcrop section (quarry) of the Irati Formation in the northernmost Paraná Basin was analyzed by GC-MS and GC-MS/MS to determine the thermal evolution, organic matter origin and the depositional paleoenvironment. The organic-rich shale at the northernmost border of the basin has high similarity with the central and southernmost areas, indicating a primary control able to induce cyclic sedimentation in a broad (106 km2) and restricted environment. PCA and HCA analysis of bulk and molecular parameters showed changes in the organic matter composition and paleoenvironmental conditions throughout the stratigraphic column. Nonetheless, there are significant differences compared to the central-eastern and southern areas of the basin. Contrasting with the southern region, the north, predominates biphytane, low and medium gammacerane index. Pr/n-C17, Ph/n-C18, HI and OI values suggest type II/III kerogen from marine organic matter with freshwater input. Among the steranes, those of stereochemistry ααα 20R predominate over ααα 20S, and the presence of βTm indicates the shales are less thermally evolved.

Taxonomía del género Arachis (Leguminosae)

Taxonomía del género Arachis (Leguminosae)

Using satellite data to estimate the evapotranspiration in Brazilian basins: From 2003 to 2016

Satellite data is essential to environmental investigations, especially related to hydroclimatic issues. In the last years, many missions have been cooperating with these studies. This research aimed to estimate evapotranspiration in five major Brazilian basins (Amazon, Paraguay, Paraná, São Francisco and Tocantins). The methodology was based on data from the GRACE mission (2003–2016) and hydroclimatic variables such as the Noah Land Surface Model L4 model runoff and precipitation from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. In addition, the results were compared to the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) model. In the Amazon, Tocantins, and Paraguay basins, the Pearson correlation was less than 0.3, while in the Paraná and São Francisco basins, the correlation was more than 0.5.

The Upper Rio Paraguay Basin Reveals Another Jewel Hidden: Hypostomus uruguayensis (Loricariidae)

The present work extends the distribution of Hypostomus uruguayensis to the upper Rio Paraguay basin. This species which was originally described from the Rio Uruguay in Southern Brazil and cited to Argentina and Bolivia is here reported for the first time within the Brazilian Midwest. Additionally, the new population was compared to the original description and the holotype of H. uruguayensis, providing a foundation for brief comments on a diagnosis of H. uruguayensis.

The paleoenvironmental and thermal histories of the Permian Irati Formation shale in the Paraná Basin, Brazil: An integrated approach based on mineralogical and organic imprints

Mineralogical assemblages and organofacies are important sources of information to recover the paleoenvironmental and thermal histories of shale deposits. In this study, a detailed qualitative and quantitative characterization of the Permian Irati Formation (Assistência Member) shale is based on mineralogical (XRD and SEM-EDS) and organic components (TOC, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, organofacies, TAI, fluorescence and vitrinite reflectance measurements) and provides integrated data about sediment provenance, depositional environment, diagenesis, and thermal history, while supporting interpretations on the Paraná Basin (PB), Brazil, paleogeography and its correlation to the southwest Gondwana. The results revealed a prevailing type I/II kerogen, with type III kerogen being also present but mainly confined along the paleoshoreline of the PB. The dominance of fluorescent amorphous organic matter (AOM) combined with framboidal pyrite suggests microbial activity in an anoxic-dysoxic neritic-marine paleoenvironment. Additionally, common to abundant well-preserved phytoclasts, as well as the occurrence of Botryococcus braunii, indicates freshwater influx in a brackish marine depositional setting. Immature to early-oil window thermal maturities prevail across the PB, according to the organic maturation indicators. The combined analysis between the organic matter evolution with clay mineralogy, such as the occurrence of interstratified clays (e.g., I/S) and its positive correlation with depth suggest that burial diagenesis reached the transition to early catagenesis on the north, southeast, and south of the basin, attributing a shale oil potential for the Irati Formation on a regional scale. Local scale imprints of the Early Cretaceous Paraná-Etendeka Large Igneous Province (LIP), and its thermal effect in the Irati Formation shale components, are recorded as clay authigenesis (e.g., smectite webby texture and clay coating development), crystallization of minerals by low to high-grade of thermal alteration (e.g., corrensite, talc, lizardite and diopside), and by local scale gas-window maturities. Such thermal alteration, identified in the proximity to intruded sills and dykes, led to a heterogeneous organic maturation pattern with implications on shale gas and shale oil potential of the Irati Formation shale, demonstrating that these subjects in the Paraná Basin should be assessed locally.

Factors affecting the transferability of bioindicators based on stream fish assemblages

The development of multimetric indices (MMIs) to measure the biotic condition of aquatic habitats is based on metrics derived from biological assemblages. Considering fish assemblages, the inconsistencies in metrics responses outside of the places where they were developed limit MMI transferability and applicability to other locations, requiring local calibration. The factors behind the low transferability of these MMIs are still poorly understood. We investigated how environmental dissimilarity and spatial distance influence the transferability of metrics generated from local stream fish assemblages to other regions. We also tested whether functional and taxonomic metrics respond differently to the spatial distance. We used data from 239 fish assemblages from streams distributed across a Brazilian, the upper Parana basin and characterized each site according to the level of anthropogenic disturbance at the landscape scale using an Anthropogenic Pressure Index (API). We divided the upper Parana basin into sub-basins and used two of them to create template response models of the metrics in relation to the API. We used these response models to predict the responses outside the template sub-basins. Our response variable representing a metric of transferability was the absolute difference between metric's predicted and observed value for each site (prediction error). We thus modeled the prediction error in relation to the predictor variables that were i) the environmental dissimilarity between each site with the average of the sites from template sub-basins (climatic, topographic and soil type variables) and ii) the spatial distance (overland and watercourse distance) between each site and the center of the template sub-basin. We found that errors in metric predictions were associated with both environmental dissimilarity and spatial distance. Furthermore, functional and taxonomic metrics responded equally to spatial distance. These results indicate the need for local calibration of metrics when developing MMIs, especially if the protocols already available come from distant and environmentally dissimilar places.

Fish functional trophic groups in headwater karst streams from the Upper Paraguay River basin

Abstract Data obtained by direct observation of organisms in their natural habitats can provide valuable contributions regarding intra- and inter-specific interactions, as well as spatial distribution and trophic relationships. However, relatively few such data are available for the Neotropical ichthyofauna relative to the great species diversity of this region. We present data on the ichthyofauna in karst environments of the Serra da Bodoquena, Upper Paraguay River basin regarding their categorization into functional trophic groups. We used direct observations that focused on the most frequent feeding tactics and their spatial (vertical and horizontal) distribution in the channel. We observed 83 fish species in 17 functional trophic groups. The greatest species richness was concentrated in the Characidae and Loricariidae in the categories Diurnal Backwater Drift Feeders and Grazers, respectively. Regarding horizontal depth stratification, we found a positive relationship between the association of small fish with the shallow marginal habitats. This work represents a contribution to a region known for its high tourist potential and to the important diversity of the entire ichthyofauna of the Upper Paraguay basin region that requires proper conservation strategies for sustaining these species.

Stratigraphic correlation of the wells Anita-1, Carmen-1 and modeling of the Pirity sub-basin of the Paraguay basin

La Subcuenca del Pirity cuenta con una serie de pozos perforados, el cual se seleccionaron algunos de ellos, para describir sus unidades litológicas y realizar una correlación y posterior contrastación con líneas sísmicas con el fin de determinar la disposición litológica dentro de la Subcuenca de Pirity, para ello se accedió a los datos proveídos por PETROPAR y el CENIHP que finalmente fueron procesados en programas especializados y a través de ello generar una interpretación y relación geológica el cual ayudara a caracterizar la geología de la Subcuenca.

Priority setting for restoration in surrounding savannic areas of the Brazilian Pantanal based on soil loss risk and agrarian structure

Soil health is at the core of the sustainability agenda. As in many agroecosystems in the tropics, soil erosion is a major issue in poorly managed pasturelands. A noteworthy case is located in the Upper Taquari River Basin (UTRB), as part of the Upper Paraguay Basin on the plateau with drainage waters for the Taquari megafan in the Brazilian Pantanal. Here we combine slope (S-factor), erodibility (E-factor), rainfall-rainy day ratio (R-factor), and vegetation and soil indices (C-factor) to locate erosion risk and prioritize eco-engineering interventions via palisades and small dams in UTRB. The method consisted of assessing distinct weights between Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) factors in a GIS platform, providing 35 combinations of classes as low, moderate, high, and very high erosive risk. The validation of the method was based on the ravine and plain ground truths obtained from high-resolution raster data. The best weight of USLE factors aids to locate critical erosive sites and vegetation patterns. Then, erosion risk and interventions were analyzed according to land use and rural property sizes in the government's Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) database. Overall, the natural factors of slope and erodibility in a proportion of 25% and 75% in GIS algebra provided the best mapping accuracy result. About 65% of the UTRB has high or very high erosion risks, and 70% of the available area can be acknowledged as degraded pasturelands. A total of 4744 erosion interventions were recorded, with an accuracy of 65.28% and 61.15% for check dams and palisades interventions, respectively. The number of necessary interventions in areas of native vegetation was almost 50% higher than in pasturelands. Even though micro landowners occupy most of the watershed, large properties have about ten times as many areas at high risk of erosion. The mutual cooperation between properties, independently of size, is supported by governmental public policies like incentives for ecosystem services restoration of critical gullies, with CAR compliance and fiscalization.

Compound impact of land use and extreme climate on the 2020 fire record of the Brazilian Pantanal

AbstractAimOur aim was to quantify the influence of climate and land use on major fires that occurred during the 2020 drought over the Brazilian Pantanal region.LocationAlto Paraguay Basin, central‐western flank of Brazil.Time period2003–2020.MethodsWe calculated climatic and burned area anomalies and Spearman's correlation between precipitation and sea surface temperature (SST). We assessed water coverage to identify the impact of the 2020 drought. We produced fire recurrence maps, identified the areas that burned for the first time in 2020, and estimated the carbon loss. Lastly, we assessed the burned areas within land‐use classes and land tenure.ResultsThe anomalies showed that climatic variables in 2020 had an atypical behaviour, being hotter and drier than the historical average. The water surface area in the Pantanal has been decreasing annually from 2003, and in 2020 the reduction was 34% greater than the annual average. Burned areas in 2020 were 200% greater than the long‐term average, and 35% of the burned areas occurred for the first time in this year. We showed that 84% of these new fires occurred within natural vegetation, with 39% of the burned areas occurring in forests, an increase of 514%. Forest fires were responsible for 47% of the carbon loss in 2020. Finally, 70% of the fires in 2020 occurred within rural properties, 5% in indigenous lands and 10% in protected areas.Main conclusionsThe unprecedented fires in 2020 were not only a result of atypical climate, but also a consequence of the intensification of fire‐related human activities. Rural properties play a major role in Pantanal fires, requiring law enforcement and a consistent plan for increasing the protection of the conservation areas. We argue that ineffective fire prevention and the lack of suppression strategies were also key in enhancing the magnitude of these fires.

Impacts of the landscape changes in the low streamflows of Pantanal headwaters—Brazil

AbstractThe Upper Paraguay Basin Plateau (UPRB) concentrates the headwaters and the largest volume of rain that supply the Pantanal biome and is essential for maintaining its water regime. Given the region's changes in land use and cover, this research sought to identify their influence on headwater flows. The use of conceptual models and time series analysis showed that the replacement of natural vegetation with pasture and the more recent activity of irrigated agriculture have produced changes in the hydrological response of the headwaters. There was a decreasing tendency of low flows during dry periods, which was correlated with anthropic changes in the use and cover of the land in the region. The research results point out changes in land use and cover as the cause of a significant decrease in streamflows during drier periods. Such behaviour at the headwaters of the Pantanal can have consequences for this biome, reducing the resilience of the system against droughts and damaging the biodiversity of the biome.

A new species of the seasonal killifish genus Moema (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the Piraí watershed in the Southwest Amazon basin

Abstract Moema, a genus of the Rivulidae family, currently comprises 20 valid species. Most of these species inhabit temporary pools in the Amazon basin and only one species is found in the upper Paraguay basin. A new member of this genus from the upper Río Madeira drainage is here described. Males of the new species differ from all congeners by the combination of a color pattern consisting of oblique, sometimes chevron-like, irregular rows of red and light blue double-dots on body; dark yellowish to golden pectoral fins with no visible markings; and a stripe pattern on the ventral section of caudal fin with a very narrow black marginal line, intermittent or even absent. The existence of infrageneric species groups within Moema, the geographic distribution and taxonomic aspects of the species present in the Ríos Mamoré and Iténez/Guaporé rivers drainages, and the observation of intraspecific aggression between males and amphibious lifestyle in the new species are discussed.

CO2 storage algorithms involving the hybrid geological reservoir of the Irati Formation, Parana Basin

The injection and permanent storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs is a norm in atmospheric CO2 reduction practices. Currently, in the Irati Formation, there are no hydrocarbon production events; therefore, this study applies detailed petrophysical and seismic evaluations to present the algorithms for predicting CO2 storage potentials of the shale and carbonate reservoirs. There are studies involving the overview of the CO2 storage potential of the study location; however, an exhaustive presentation such as this is novel in the region. It proposes the shale-carbonate hybrid geological reservoir to maximise the storage capacity by reducing the geological constraints associated with thin-bedded layers, inadequate overburdens, water saturation (Sw), fault distributions, total organic content (TOC), and porosity (Ф). It reveals that the geological and other carbon capture and storage (CCS) related parameters presented for the conceived hybrid reservoir conform to the CO2 storage criteria considering the research results and existing atlases. The study shows average values for Ф (8.2% in shale and 13.1% in carbonates), TOC (8.8% in shale and 5.6% in carbonate) and reservoir thickness (13.7 m for shale and 15.4 m for carbonate) involving an estimated area of 4.3 × 109 m2. It presents an average value of 13.0% for Sw at depths ≥950 m, and the estimated CO2 storage capacity of the hybrid geological reservoir is 13.58 Gt. Therefore, the results of this study will assist in making an informed decision concerning the actualisation of CO2 storage within the Irati Formation and related geological units, especially in the absence of pre-determined data from hydrocarbon production.

The Influence of Underground Weathering on Hydrocarbon Distribution in Oil Sands (Asabasca Oil Sands in Canada and Parana Basin, Brazil)

The Influence of Underground Weathering on Hydrocarbon Distribution in Oil Sands (Asabasca Oil Sands in Canada and Parana Basin, Brazil)

The conservation of migratory fishes in the second largest river basin of South America depends on the creation of new protected areas

Abstract Freshwater ecosystems, providing valuable goods and services to humans, have been subjected to multiple human impacts, among which climate change plays a central role in threats to species. It is expected that protected areas, the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation efforts, will assume a decisive role in protecting freshwater species from the impacts of climate change. This study assessed the effects of climate change on migratory fish of the second largest neotropical river basin, evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas in safeguarding fish species, and hence the ecological functions that they perform and the ecosystem resources that they provide. The present range of 23 migratory fish of economic interest in the Paraná–Paraguay basin was estimated and the responses to future climatic shifts projected to the middle and end of the 21st century were examined, quantifying predictive uncertainties. Changes and losses of climatically suitable areas will trigger severe contractions in range, with the greatest impact on the most valuable species in commercial fishing, where range losses are likely to surpass 65% in the future. The main channel of the Upper Paraná River and tributaries of its left margin are projected to serve as climatic refuges for many species, and such regions are not affected by high predictive uncertainty. The results revealed that protected areas do not sufficiently protect migratory fish at present, and that they will continue to offer negligible protection in the face of climate change. This study alerts decision makers to the potential damage to inland fishery resources from climate change and provides useful information to guide conservation strategies spatially. We advocate that the creation of new protected areas and the redesign of the existing network to encompass regions that maximize current and future occupancy of migratory fish are crucial to conserve the valuable ecological, societal, and economic benefits that they provide.

GEOLOGIA, GEOQUIMICA E QUIMICA MINERAL DOS STOCKS GRANÍTICOS RAPAKIVI CAMPINA DO VEADO E SANTA BLANDINA, SUDOESTE DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

Os stocks graníticos Campina do Veado e Santa Blandina localizam-se na região sudoeste do estado de São Paulo, no município de Nova Campina, intrusivos em rochas da sequência metavulcanossedimentares do Grupo Itaiacoca. Os corpos encontram-se relacionados à evolução da granitogênese rapakivi neoproterozoica da parte norte do Terreno Apiaí e da Província Mantiqueira Central. As rochas do Campina do Veado, abrangem uma área de aproximadamente 20 km² e as suas rochas ocorrem no leito do rio Taquari Guaçu, na interface dos contrafortes erosivos da Unidade Geomorfológica da Depressão Periférica, a partir de rochas dos grupos Furnas e Itararé da sequência sedimentar da Bacia do Paraná. O corpo de Santa Blandina de aproximadamente 4 km2 é identificado por pequenas ocorrências isoladas de rochas graníticas. As rochas são representadas por variedades graníticas de coloração rósea a vermelha, rara ocorrência cinza, isotrópicos e porfiríticas a equi- a inequigranulares, com variedades viborgíticas e apresentando como mineral máfico preservado somente a biotita. As rochas podem ser distintas por composições monzograníticas, sienograníticas e álcali granitos, além das rochas das fases tardias aplíticas e pegmatíticas. O magmatismo dos stocks graníticos demonstra uma forte relação de semelhanças entre as suas rochas, sugerindo constituir em um mesmo corpo. Os granitos rapakivi são peraluminosos e podem ser correlacionados à séries cálcio-alcalina alto potássio a shoshonítica, do Tipo I Caledonianos, pós-colisional a anorogênico de intraplaca, altamente diferenciado e da fase final da construção do Arco Magmático Ribeira ou associado aos granitos peraluminosos alcalinos do tipo A. Estão associados às estruturas transtensivas das zonas de cisalhamento do final do evento colisional da Orogênese Ribeira e reflete o arranjo final geotectônico de estabilização do Terreno Apiaí.

Mapping of suspended sediment transport using acoustic methods in a Pantanal tributary.

Generally, fluvial systems are used for different objectives including energy production, water supply, recreation, and navigation. Thus, many impacts must be considered with their use. An understanding of sediment dynamics in fluvial systems is often of value for a variety of objectives, given that erosion and depositional processes can change the fluvial system morphology and can substantially alter the fluvial environment. In this sense, sediment monitoring is important because it helps to explain and quantify sediment dynamics in the environment. Hence, this study presents an innovative sediment monitoring technique: the use of the acoustic Doppler current profiler, commonly used to obtain discharge measurements, to obtain suspended sediment concentration (SSC). This paper aims to describe the application of additional corrections to the ADP-M9 signal to obtain SSC from measurement campaigns that used the ADP only for discharge measurements. The analyses were based on traditional sediment sampling methods and discharge measurements, with the ADP-M9, from 7 field campaigns at the Taquari River, a major tributary from the Alto Paraguay Basin, in the Pantanal Biome, known as the largest freshwater wetland system in the world. The correlation was assessed considering the following: (a) the equipment frequency operation mode (Smart Pulse or Fixed Frequency) and (b) by checking the influence of the sediment attenuation coefficient. Furthermore, extrapolation was conducted in filtered and unmeasured areas of the ADP to map the suspended sediment concentration over the entire cross section. Results indicate that ADP correlations can be an effective tool for estimating SSC in the Taquari River when samples cannot be collected. Correlations could be applied to past and future ADP measurements made at the location where the correlation was created, as long as similar environmental conditions are present as when the correlation was developed. The described technique can expand the amount of sediment data available at a monitoring site even with reduced traditional sampling and by leveraging instruments used for other monitoring purposes.