Landslides and Coastal Erosion Hazards In Brazil

Earth surface processes—such as landslides, floods, erosion, siltation, subsidence, and soil collapse-are the main geological hazards responsible for social and economic damage in Brazil. Seismic events also occur, although at low intensities and with little damage. This paper addresses selected aspects of landslide and coastal-erosion disaster countermeasures in Brazil. Landslides cause the greatest number of accidents involving loss of life, and they occur chiefly in mountainous areas of the southeastern coast and in the more gentle terrain of the northeast coast. Local natural conditions related to topographic, geological, and climatic aspects, as well as manmade situations, are the main factors responsible for landslide disasters in Brazil.

Coastal erosion today represents a serious problem as a result of the substantial property damage it causes, chiefly along the northeast coast of Brazil, where it is most intense and frequent. The causes of coastal erosion in Brazil have been ascribed chiefly to human activity and to short- and medium-term natural causes. Elevation of sea level does not appear to have the same impact along the Brazilian coast as in the Northern Hemisphere, inasmuch as the Brazilian coast has been rising during the last 5000 years or more.