Itabirito

Itabirito on the map of Minas Gerais

Itabirito is a city in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is located about 320 km north of Rio de Janeiro and has about 44,000 inhabitants.

Geography, Geology

The city is located 55 km south Itabirito of Belo Horizonte in the region of Serra de Itabirito. It is affected by the federal highway BR- 356.

About 10 kilometers west of the city is 1,586 m high Pico de Itabirito, the entirely of iron ore, mainly hematite, is because of its color and regionally as " pedra Sangue " (Blood Stone ) is called. It has a striking truncated cone shape. The operated over a long period of iron ore mining in the area of Itabirito is known for its large deposits of Precambrian age ( Minas Supergroup, Cauê lineup ) worldwide. The other region is therefore also Iron Quadrangle ( Quadrilátero Ferrífero ) because it is limited by four cities.

An open pit extends to the striking rock massif of the Pico de Itabirito. The Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional declared 1926 the mountain national natural monument whose status was maintained until 1965. The withdrawal of the protected area was because of the expanding mining area. To his receipt of the core area of the mountain in 1991 was once again under protection, this time by means of an ordinance at the local level.

The German geologist Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege visited during his exploration work between 1810 to 1821 in Brazil this iron ore deposit and noted the found rock as itabirite in his 1822 published work Geognostisches paintings of Brazil and probable source rocks of diamonds.

Attractions

  • Natural Monument Pico de Itabirito
  • Museum of art and crafts (Museu de Arte e oficio )
  • Museum of the iron ore (Museu do Ferro )
  • Monument of the iron ore mining with a Feldbahnlok and Kipplore

Sons and daughters of the town

  • Telê Santana (1931-2006), Brazilian footballer and coach
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