Cities and Municipalities
| The Geopark of Paleorrota comprises 50 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul |
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Porto Alegre
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Although Porto Alegre is not located within the area of the Triassic rocks, it has the highest number of paleontologists of Rio Grande do Sul and possesses a large number of museums, institutions and universities :
- The UFRGS has a large number of paleontologists specializing in vertebrates and houses the Museum of Paleontology Irajá Damiani Pinto. In 1998 the first Brazilian Symposium on Vertebrate Paleontology was held at UFRGS.
- The PUCRS has contributed to the paleorrota. Its important Museum of Science and Technology displays fossils of the region.
- The UNISINOS has a team specializing in paleobotany.
- At the Museum of Natural Sciences, incorporated into the Porto Alegre Botanical Garden, is an exhibition of fossils found in the geopark.
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Santa Maria
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Santa Maria has been built on large fossil deposits featuring 22 outcrops within the city limits. Several of its museums have dinosaurs on display. In 2006, the University UFSM held the fifth Brazilian Symposium on Vertebrate Paleontology. It was in Santa Maria that Staurikosaurus (amongst many other fossils) was first found. Within the city limits are the following paleontological sites:
- Paleontological Site Arroio Cancela.
- Paleontological Site Largo Padre Daniel Cargnin.
- Paleontological Site Bela Vista.
- Paleontological Site Jazigo Cinco.
- Paleontological Site Sanga of Alemoa.
Municipal museums with fossils on display:
- Educational Museum Gama D'Eça.
- Museum Vincente Pallotti.
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Candelária
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Candelária has also been an area where fossil vertebrates have been discovered. The thecodont Karamuru was collected here in 2000. In the city alone are 17 outcrops.
Municipal museum with fossils on display:
- Museum Aristides Carlos Rodrigues.
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São Pedro do Sul
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São Pedro do Sul has a large reserve of petrified trees and a museum with dinosaur fossils. The city is located 40 km from Santa Maria. In 1938 the paleontologist Friedrich von Huene collected here the thecodont Prestosuchus chiniquensis.
- Paleontological Site Chiniquá.
Municipal museum with fossils on display:
- Paleontological and Archeological Museum Walter Ilha.
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Mata
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In the city of Mata are large deposits of petrified trees.
Municipal museum with fossils on display:
- Museum Daniel Cargnin.
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São João do Polêsine
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São João do Polêsine is situated approximately 50 kilometers from Santa Maria.
Within the city are outcrops with fossils. The CAPPA (Support Center for Research on Palaeontology) is under construction in this city.
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Agudo
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Sacisaurus was found in Agudo. It was discovered in 2010 the fossil of a Trucidocynodon.
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São Martinho da Serra
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Here Unaysaurus was discovered, 13 kilometers from Santa Maria.
- Paleontological Site of Agua Negra.
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Dona Francisca
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Near the city of Santa Maria. Dona Francisca likewise has fossil-bearing outcrops. In 2008 a 240 million year old cynodont (Luangwa) was found here.
Researchers at the Lutheran University of Brazil in April 2010 found a complete fossil of a thecodont Prestosuchus.
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Faxinal do Soturno
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Close to Santa Maria. Faxinal do Soturno has outcrops with fossils.
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Cachoeira do Sul
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The fossil-bearing outcrops are to the north of the city. In Agudo, near Cachoeira do Sul, the ULBRA of Cachoeira do Sul discovered the fossil remnants of Sacisaurus.
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São Gabriel
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In São Gabriel the fossil remains of an ancient amphibian appeared that date back to the Permian (270 million years ago).
Here three geological formations crop out:
- Irati Formation (Passo São Borja). Age: Late Permian.
- Rio do Rastro Formation (Posto Queimado). Age: Late Permian.
- Sanga do Cabral Formation (Abandoned railroad between Dilermando de Aguiar and São Gabriel). Age: Late Triassic.
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Aceguá
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In the Aceguá area the outcrops are located between the City of Aceguá and Bagé, along the highway BR-153. They belong to the Rio do Rastro Formation and are Late Permian in age.
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Bagé
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In the Bagé area the outcrops are located between the City of Aceguá and Bagé, along the highway BR-153. They belong to the Rio do Rastro Formation and are Late Permian in age.
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Dilermando de Aguiar
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In Dilermando de Aguiar the Sanga do Cabral Formation crops out along the abandoned railroad between Dilermando de Aguiar and São Gabriel. Early Triassic age.
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Santa Cruz do Sul
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Here the fossil of a cynodont was found.
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Of the seven mesoregions the state of Rio Grande do Sul, five are on Paleorrota geopark, which are:
- Western Center Riograndense, the main Mesoregion of geopark, covered by the BR-287.
- Eastern Center Riograndense, traveled by the BR-287.
- Southwest Rio-Grandense this Mesoregion contain areas of the Permian.
- Metropolitan Porto Alegre, a small portion west belongs to the geopark and is traversed by the BR-287.
- Southeast Riograndense, part of the Mesoregion located to the west is the geopark.
Although almost a hundred municipalities involved in geopark, the Brazilian government and the government of Rio Grande do Sul, which are responsible for constitutional fossil, has done very little for paleontological tourism.
The demand of tourists is low due to lack of investment from the Secretariat of Tourism of Rio Grande do Sul, and the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, generating a low income with the movement of tourists who ends up not generate resources to invest in research and education in paleontology. That does not make it economically sustainable paleontology.
Institutions such as the Federation of Associations of Municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul and the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul, do not work on these projects for municipalities unite around this goal.
Projects such as the Highway of Dinosaurs and Paleorrota Institute, aim to make the geopark sustainable.