Quixadá Monoliths Natural Monument
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| Quixadá Monoliths Natural Monument | |
|---|---|
| Monumento Natural dos Monólitos de Quixadá | |
 Monoliths on the outskirts of Quixadá | |
  | |
| Nearest city | Quixadá, Ceará |
| Coordinates | 4°58′S 39°00′W / 4.96°S 39°W |
| Area | 16,635 hectares (41,110 acres) |
| Designation | Natural monument |
| Created | 25 October 2002 |
| Administrator | Semace |
The Quixadá Monoliths Natural Monument (Portuguese: Monumento Natural dos Monólitos de Quixadá) is a formation of inselbergs in the state of Ceará, Brazil, that has been designated a natural monument.
The Quixadá Monoliths Natural Monument in the municipality of Quixadá is a fully protected conservation unit created through Ceará state decree 26805 of 25 October 2002. The natural monument was established to protect the rare and scenic inselbergs in the region, which have great ecological and tourist interest, and to protect the fragile ecology of the central Sertão against the risk of human intervention.[1] It covers an area of 16,635 hectares (41,110 acres).[2]
The inselbergs lie in the dry Caatinga biome. They are residual formations remaining after erosion in the semi-arid environment. There are cave paintings and other archaeological remains on the site that date to prehistoric times. The Barragem do Cedro (Cedar Dam) was built between 1890 and 1906 using stone masonry, cement and steel, at the foot of the Pedra da Galinha Choca (Brooding Hen Rock), the most famous of the monoliths. On 30 January 2015 the dam was placed on the tentative list as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[3]
