Coloured layers
Geological history.
The Marataízes Cliffs are a municipal natural monument in the south of Marataízes on the southern coast of Espírito Santo, created in December 2008 to protect a beautiful coastal landscape of cliffs along the beach over forty-two hectares. The cliffs are made of Miocene mudstone, sandstone and conglomerate sediments up to thirty metres high, running from the Boa Vista do Sul area to Praia dos Cações. They are constantly eroding: water has cut cracks and gullies into them, and fallen blocks of rock lie heaped at their base, so their coloured layers show clearly. It is a good place for walking on the beach, admiring the cliffs and taking photographs, especially in morning or late-afternoon light. Keep away from the cliff edges and do not stand directly beneath them because of rockfalls, and watch the tide.
Geological history.
A walk below the cliffs.
For photographs.
South of Marataízes, southern coast of Espírito Santo
They erode constantly, so keep off the edges and away from their base.