Neotectonics and its influence on the relief of the coastal zone of northeastern Brazil: The case of Camamu, Maraú, and Itacaré region

Contrary to classical paradigms in the Geosciences, recent studies indicate that Neotectonics plays an important role in the landscape evolution of intraplate regions. In this context, this study evaluates possible neotectonic activity and its influence on the relief of the Itacaré region, an intraplate area in northeastern Brazil. To this end, structural lineaments were mapped using SRTM data and automatically extracted with SID3 software to identify the main lineament domains, which were then compared with seismicity data. Morphometric analyses (AF, Bs, SL index, and geomorphological anomaly degree) of the main drainage basins were also performed. A total of 1,077 tectonic features were surveyed in 55 outcrops and used as the basis for paleostress calculations. The main lineament trends are N–S and NNE–SSW, corresponding to the orientation of SHmax. Field evidence of neotectonic deformation was identified in outcrops of the Barreiras Group (Miocene), as well as in Podzols and Quaternary coral reefs. These recent deformations occur in the northeastern sector of the study area, coinciding with the occurrence of low-magnitude earthquakes and higher values of the SLsector/SLtotal ratio. The measured structures are related to three paleostress fields: NW–SE extension (Neogene), N–S extension (Pleistocene), and NW–SE extension (Holocene). These results confirm that Neotectonics is active in the study area, although its influence on landforms is either limited or concentrated in specific zones, such as the Maraú Peninsula, since most of the lithostructural control over the drainage network is most likely inherited from pre-existing basement structures.