ACTA CARSOLOGICA 35/2 – 2006 170
THE 6
th
 SINAGEO AND THE INSERTION OF THE KARST GEOMORPHOLOGY 
THEMATIC SESSION
Between September 6
th
 and 10
th
, it took place in the city of 
Goiânia, Brazil, the 6th National Symposium of Geomor-
phology (VI SINAGEO), promoted by the Union of the 
Brazilian Geomorphology (UGB), simultaneously with 
the Regional Conference of Geomorphology, promoted 
by the International Association of Geomorphologists 
(IGA).
Such integrated event had as its objectives, to di-
vulge and discuss the results of scientific studies, theo-
ries, models, methods and techniques, with emphasis in 
the tropical and subtropical environments. The studies 
were grouped in thematic sessions that synthetize the 
main currents of international trends and specialties of 
geomorphology.
Structuralized through the division of the subjects 
in 14 Thematic Sessions, the event counted on the pre-
sentation of about 550 works, between posters and oral 
communications, added by 18 lectures and 5 round table 
discussions, congregating more than 700 researchers, 
with greater importance given to the Thematic Session 
on Karst Geomorphology. For the first time, after six 
events of this kind, the Karst studies had its insertion due 
to the considerable number of papers in the formats of 
posters and oral communications.  
The event was officially opened in September 7
th 
with 
the lectures by professors Mike Thomas (Scotland) and 
Victor Baker (United States), both guided by the theme 
of the global climatic changes of the quaternary and its 
relation with geomorphology. Later on, in the same day, 
took place the round table on the subject “The Tropics: 
past, gift and future” .  
From September 8
th
 to 10
th
 the event was organized 
in lectures, oral communications and round tables ac-
cording to the 14 existing thematic sessions. The biggest 
interest of the authors were the Thematic Session 5, re-
lated to Karst Geomorphology. This Session was presided 
by Andrej Kranjc of the Karst Research Institute (ZRC 
SAZU), together with the Heinz Charles Kohler, of the 
Post-Graduation Program in Geography of the PUC 
Minas, Brazil.
Under Kohler coordination, the karst studies started 
with the conference “Kras - the Classic Karst (Slovenia-
italy)”, given by Kranjc. His lecture was developed in a 
very interesting format, with the history behind the ori-
gin of the name Kras, as well a historical overview of the 
first studies initiated in the region.
According to Kranjc (2006), kras is a limestone pla-
teau located northwest of Slovenia (45º45’ N, 14º00’ w ) 
part of the Dinaric Mountains, being well detached in 
relation to the non-carbonatic adjacencies of the Triest 
Bay on the southwest, the alluvial plain of Friuli and the 
sedimentation valley of Vipava to the northwest. Such 
plateau is considered an anticlinorium of Cretaceous and 
Tertiary limestone, crossed by three main faults in “Di-
naric” direction (Nw - SE), with altitudes between 200 
and 500 m covering an area of about 550 km
2
.  
w hen talking about the history behind the evolu-
tion of the studies of the Dinaric Karst or the “Classical 
Karst” , the impressions of the authors were reinforced by 
considering the Karst as a vast field for human and physi-
cal studies.
By making an epistemological reflection on the ori-
gin of the term Kras until the currently used terminol-
ogy, Kranjc catched our attention to the existence of brief 
descriptions of the karst in works from the 4
th
 century 
B.C., as well the impressions left in the works of Strabo, 
Polibios, Plinius, Livius, and Vergilius, among others. 
Posidonius of Apameia (135 – 50 B.C.), for example, said 
that “the river Timavus springs in the mountain, flows 
into an abyss, reappears after the distance of 130 stadia, 
and flows into the sea” , a clear description of a river sink 
and a resurgence.  
At the Medieval Age, the “Tabula Peutingeriana” 
already showed indications of a karstic region with hu-
man settlements next to it. At the same Era, the tourism 
in caves initiated, more specifically in the Cave of Sveta 
jama (Sacred Cave), in 280 A.C., where masses and mar-
riages started to be common. The caves of Landarska 
(888 A.C.), Postojnska (1213 A.C.) and Vilenica (1663) 
also called the attention of people living near by them.
By the end of the 17
th
 century and the beginning of 
the 18
th
 century, the region popularizes in consequence 
of descriptions made by geographers, topographers, 
scholars and travelers, and also by the fact of Trieste be-
ing turned into a “free trade” port in 1719. In this period, 
more systematic studies began to increase.  
Thus, pioneers scholars dedicated to the study of 
the kras region, starting formally with a publication of 
Franc Jožef Hanibal HOHENw ART (1830), where the 
term “karst” appears for the first time. Geographers and 
geologists of the 19
th
 century started to use with more 
frequency the term karst and the works of Jovan Cvijić 
(1893) were considered to have given the scientific basis 
to the study of the “classical karst” , followed by Grund 
(1805), Kraus (1894) and Martel (1894), for example. 
After all this thoughts, Kranjc finished with the 
exemplification of its sayings with photos related to the 
karst geomorphology and human usage, since the use of 
REPORTS - POROč ILA

ACTA CARSOLOGICA 35/2 – 2006 171
the endokarst for rituals, the exploitation of limestone in 
the region for house and terraces construction, the use 
of the exokarst for farming, water and ice catchment for 
food conservation, as well the inappropriate waste dis-
posal in dolines.  
Thus, all of those who went to the conference had 
the opportunity to have a general overview on the evo-
lution of the Kras plateau, as well as understanding its 
complexity, management and need for preservation.  In 
the afternoon the oral communications from the The-
matic Session 5 took place under the coordination of 
K.H. Kohler. 
Basically the papers presented had focused the geo-
morphology in sandstone and quartzite (pseudokarst) 
regions with the exposition of works that prioritized the 
deriving use of the concepts and definitions of the “classi-
cal karst” in regions where the development of caves took 
place silicateous rocks.
More important than the discussion on the termi-
nology was the intention of the authors in proving its hy-
potheses through well structuralized and coherent works, 
fact that is appropriate to the academic discussion of the 
role of geochemistry as a key factor in the development 
of a karstic relief (classic) or not. The process of dissolu-
tion in detriment of the physical erosion was underlined, 
due to the premise that any rock is soluble, especially on 
tropical regions (water + heat).  
On Saturday, the participants were able to attend the 
conference “Brief considerations on the Brazilian Karstic 
Scenarios” given by K.H. Kohler, under a. Kranjc coor-
dination.  As we all know, Prof. Kohler dedicated more 
than 30 years of his life in the study of the Brazilian tropi-
cal karsts, especially on the Lagoa Santa Karst, a widely 
studied region in the 19
th
 century due to its karstological, 
paleontological, archaeological and speleological impor-
tance.  
For him, the geomorphology contemplates the 
landscape in a spatial-time conception whose evolution 
(dynamic) in many ways is faster than the preventive in-
tention of the man in conserve and preserve.  
The origin of the Lagoa Santa´s endokarst retraces 
to the Jurassic/Cretacious, whereas the exokarst is shaped 
after the Rio das Velhas initiates the notch of the South 
American Plate in the Plio-Pleistocene, already in the 
outcrops of carbonatic rocks, remodeling the karstic sce-
nario until present times. 
An important anomaly in the current drainage sys-
tem was also distinguished: the general drainage stan-
dard of the main river (Rio das Velhas) and its tributar-
ies follows the N direction and, the Ribeirão da Mata is 
the only stream that flows in almost opposite direction, 
(Sw ). This anomaly suggests that the Rio das Velhas had 
already occupied the current course of the Ribeirão da 
Mata, flowing northwest, originating the Lagoa Santa 
Karst (KOHLER, 2006).  
Through images and cartographic documents, the 
participants were able to observe this anomaly flow as 
well as understanding the genesis of the Lagoa Santa 
Karst plateau.
w ith the development of this Thematic Session, we 
could once more acknowledge the lack of researchers 
that are not necessarily speleologists that are interested 
on karst studies and its processes.   
Even with the insertion, for the first time, of the the-
matic on Karst Geomorphology in an important national 
and international event, the number of papers submit-
ted to us was still lower than the other papers sent to the 
other 13 Thematic Sessions.
Thus, we believe that a bigger integration between 
the scholars from the physical studies and human studies 
of karstic areas is necessary, because only doing this we´ll 
contribute for an optimum development of the Brazilian 
karstology.
It´s strongly recommended that, in the current stage 
of the karstological studies in Brazil, we started a system-
atic and detailed mapping of the Brazilian karstic areas, 
integrating those dedicated to the endokarst (speleolo-
gists) and those scientists of the exokarst (geomorpholo-
gists). 
REFERENCES
KRANJC. the Kras-The Classical Karst (Slovenia-Italy). 
Goiânia: UFG, 2006. Lecture pronounced in VI the 
SINAGEO, Goiânia, 08/09/2006.
KOHLER, H.C. Brief Considerações on the Brazilian 
Cársticos Scenes. Goiânia: UFG, 2006. Lecture pro-
nounced in VI the SINAGEO, Goiânia, 09/09/2006.
Luiz Eduardo Panisset Travassos
Heinz Charles Kohler
Andrej Kranjc
REPORTS - POROč ILA