CARACTERIZAÇÃO MORFOMÉTRICA DA BACIA DO RIO PIRAPETINGA, RESENDE - RJ.

The morphometric characterization of a watershed is important for understanding the dynamics of water processes and relief forms. The present work aims to characterize the morphometry of the Pirapetinga river basin, Resende - RJ, to better understand the evolution of the relief of the northern edge of the sedimentary basin of Resende. Being the largest tributary of the Paraíba do Sul River in Sul-Fluminense, draining an area of 218.43 km², the river is born in the Itatiaia National Park, draining in its upper course two conservation units: the Pedra Selada State Park, in left bank and the APA of Serrinha do Alambari, on its right bank. Its medium course cuts through a succession of high hills, low mountains, hills until it enters the board of the Resende Sedimentary Basin where it flows into the Paraíba do Sul River, at approximately 400 m altitude. This sixth-order, T-shaped, asymmetrical basin has strong tectonic control as indicated by the longitudinal profile, the real RDE, the asymmetry of sections of its valley and the parallelism of the drainage, among other indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]