Evidências de conectividade sedimentar no litoral sul-sudeste do Brasil com base em minerais pesados

Sedimentary dynamics in coastal and continental shelf environments play a key role in coastal morphology. Understanding these dynamics at a regional scale is essential for supporting planning strategies and mitigation actions against natural and human-induced impacts. In this context, understanding the connectivity between different sediment stocks allows inferences about transport routes and sediment retention zones. The use of heavy minerals is effective in sediment provenance studies, providing insights into sources and dispersion mechanisms. Samples from the inner continental shelf of Paraná were analyzed and compared with data from coastal regions and continentals shelfs of São Paulo, Paraná, and Santa Catarina. The results show a strong mineralogical simipesalarity among the assemblages from Paraná, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo, suggesting a homogenization process through connectivity during the Quaternary, in the same time that happen hydraulic segregation process. The influence of rivers on the composition of heavy mineral assemblages is evident in beaches near estuaries and in deeper inner shelf areas. The mineral distribution pattern reflects the action of the northeastward longshore drift, as well as sediment remobilization during high-energy events (waves of storms and cold fronts) and during sea level variations in Quaternary regressions and transgressions. Therefore, extraction at a specific point may influence the availability and distribution of these sediments in neighboring areas.