ABSTRACT Pantanal da Nhecolândia is one of the most well-preserved areas in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Located in the southern part of the Taquari River megafan, it is in tectonic contact with the fault escarpments of the Maracaju-Campo Grande plateaus to the east and with the fault escarpments of the Bodoquena plateau to the west, which continue to north. To the south and to the north, the limits are marked respectively by the lineaments of the Negro and Taquari Rivers. Nhecolândia is characterized by the existence of at least 17,631 lagoons, 17,050 (96.70 %) of which are of fresh water (baías) and 577 (3.3 %) of salty water (salinas). Studies based on (Landsat) satellite images and use of free software (QGIS, version 2.8.3) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) revealed that the major axes of the lagoons are aligned along two directions, NE (62.49 %) and NW (37.51 %), with modes concentrated between N30-40E and N30-40W, suggesting in both cases the role played by tectonic control (neotectonics) in their formation. Evidences of fluvial origin are presented for these groups of lagoons, as well as for their tectonic alignment.

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo dos lineamentos estruturais extraídos manualmente a partir de imagens de satélite (CBERS-2B, sensor WFI, uma imagem gratuita disponível na internet) da região do Pantanal e faz uma comparação com os lineamentos estruturais de rochas Pré-Cambrianas e Paleozóicas que circundam a bacia Cenozóica do Pantanal. Usando software livre para análise de imagens de satélite, a fotointerpretação mostrou que as direções NS, NE e NW observadas no Pantanal são as mesmas registradas nas rochas mais antigas que circundam a bacia, sugerindo reativação destas mesmas direções estruturais durante o Quaternário. Logo, a Bacia do Pantanal possui uma tectônica ativa e sua evolução parece estar ligada às mudanças relacionadas com a subducção Andina.

This paper presents a study of the structural lineaments of the Pantanal extracted visually from satellite images (CBERS-2B satellite, Wide Field Imager sensor, a free image available in INTERNET) and a comparison with the structural lineaments of Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks surrounding the Cenozoic Pantanal Basin. Using a free software for satellite image analysis, the photointerpretation showed that the NS, NE and NW directions observed on the Pantanal satellite images are the same recorded in the older rocks surrounding the basin, suggesting reactivation of these basement structural directions during the Quaternary. So the Pantanal Basin has an active tectonics and its evolution seems to be linked to changes that occurred during the Andean subduction.