Pico do Cabugi
Encyclopedia
The Pico do Cabugi, also known as the Serra do Cabuji or Serrote da Itaretama, is the only extinct volcano in Brazil which preserves its original form. It is 590 meters high and is located in the Cabugi Ecological State Park in the municipality of Angicos
in the state of Rio Grande do Norte
.
Composed mainly of basaltic alkaline intrusive rocks, this volcano was the result of a major geological upheaval in the tertiary
era which were responsible for various volcanic cones in the rocky state of Rio Grande do Norte. They have been dated using radioactive isotopes as the most recent of Brazilian igneous rocks (± 19 million years). The presence of small xenolith
s indicate that these rocks have originated at a great depth (about 60 km).
The researcher Lenine Pinto argues that when Brazil was first discovered by Pedro Álvares Cabral
, it was Pico do Cabugi that he first saw and not Monte Pascoal
.
Angicos
Angicos is a town and municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Norte in the Northeast region of Brazil.-References:...
in the state of Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...
.
Composed mainly of basaltic alkaline intrusive rocks, this volcano was the result of a major geological upheaval in the tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
era which were responsible for various volcanic cones in the rocky state of Rio Grande do Norte. They have been dated using radioactive isotopes as the most recent of Brazilian igneous rocks (± 19 million years). The presence of small xenolith
Xenolith
A xenolith is a rock fragment which becomes enveloped in a larger rock during the latter's development and hardening. In geology, the term xenolith is almost exclusively used to describe inclusions in igneous rock during magma emplacement and eruption...
s indicate that these rocks have originated at a great depth (about 60 km).
The researcher Lenine Pinto argues that when Brazil was first discovered by Pedro Álvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral was a Portuguese noble, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the discoverer of Brazil. Cabral conducted the first substantial exploration of the northeast coast of South America and claimed it for Portugal. While details of Cabral's early life are sketchy, it...
, it was Pico do Cabugi that he first saw and not Monte Pascoal
Monte Pascoal
Monte Pascoal is located at 16°53'47.73"S, 39°24'26.09"W; 62 km to the south of the city of Porto Seguro, in the state of Bahia, Brazil. According to history, it was the first part of land viewed by Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, allegedly the first European to arrive in Brazil, in...
.