Granulometric characterization of surface sediments of Lake Valencia

Abstract

The granulometric characterization of the surface sediments of Lake Valencia is part of the results of an Interinstitutional Work Proposal, implemented in May 2009, which aimed to sample water and surface sediments from Lake Valencia for subsequent study. Participants included the Ministry of the Environment (MINAMB), the Lake Valencia Coast Guard Command attached to the Bolivarian Navy, the Ministry of Popular Power for Science, Technology and Intermediate Industries through FUNDACITE Aragua, IAMAGIR attached to the Girardot Municipality, and the INCES Aragua Regional Management. This endorheic basin, formed by a depression between the Coastal Range and the Interior Range, occupies a tectonic depression whose boundaries are: to the North, the southern slope of the Coastal Range; to the South, the northern slope of the Interior Range; To the east, the Tuy River Basin; and to the west, the Pao River Basin. Its natural physical spaces comprise three large, clearly identified areas: a flat area formed by the alluvial and lacustrine plain of Lake Valencia and the intramontane valleys; a mountainous area that forms part of the Coastal and Interior Ranges of the Cordillera de La Costa; and the body of water of Lake Valencia and reservoirs used for irrigation. The project results show, geospatially, the granulometry of the sediments throughout the lake, since all sampling points were georeferenced.