LAUSR

Abstract The geological heritage of Brazil represents a wide spectrum of unique phenomena. Field investigations in the Torres locality (vicinity of Torres town, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil) have highlighted the value of the exposed geological features. These include columnar basalts of the Cretaceous Parana-Etendeka large igneous province, basalt hills and cliffs, non-karst caves, rockfalls, etc. These features are assigned to six geological heritage types, namely igneous, tectonic, geomorphological, sedimentary, palaeogeographical, and engineering types. Three of them (igneous, palaeogeographical, and engineering types) demonstrate global uniqueness. These unique features are exposed at three points, which are proposed as geosites, namely Torre Sul and Torre da Guarita, Morro das Furnas, and Morro do Farol (also geomorphosites). The former of them appears to be the most valuable due to its diversity, and it is ranked as global. The Torres locality provides exceptional opportunities for understanding the events before Gondwana breakup and during the time span of major large igneous province emplacement. The world class geological heritage of Torres indicates a significant potential for geotourism. The presence of state parks popular among visitors, and the notable biodiversity of the study area, would support geotourism growth. However, urban pressure and tourist crowding create risks for local community, and particularly for geosites. Thus, a special plan for sustainable (geo)tourism development in the Torres locality is required.