Central Brazil Cerrado
- The Serra de Caldas, also known as the Caldas Novas dome or Caldas Ridge, is a monolithic oval-shaped plateau located in central Brazil’s state of Goiás.
- The plateau stands approximately 300 meters above the surrounding landscape and covers an area of about one-fifth of Brazil’s land area.
- The Serra de Caldas is part of the Cerrado biome, which is a biologically rich savanna and grassland ecosystem that represents the second-largest biome in South America behind the Amazon.
- The Cerrado biome is home to thousands of plant, bird, reptile, and mammal species, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet.
- The area surrounding the Serra de Caldas is sometimes referred to as the “cradle of waters” due to its unique geography and ecosystem.
Amid a patchwork of fields, towns, and winding rivers and roads in central Brazil stands a monolithic oval-shaped plateau. This conspicuous feature, the Serra de Caldas (also known as the Caldas Novas dome and Caldas Ridge), is perched about 300 meters (1,000 feet) above the surrounding landscape in the state of Goiás.
NASA/Wanmei Liang; Landsat data: USGS
On May 19, 2025, Landsat 9 captured this image of the Serra de Caldas in the state of Goiás, Brazil. The oval plateau is covered by a biologically rich savanna and grassland ecosystem called Cerrado. The Cerrado covers about one-fifth of Brazil’s land area and represents the second-largest biome in South America behind the Amazon. These lands are home to thousands of plant, bird, reptile, and mammal species, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet.
Learn more about this area sometimes referred to as the “cradle of waters.”
Text credit: Lindsey Doermann
Image credit: NASA/Wanmei Liang; Landsat data: USGS
Q. What is the Serra de Caldas also known as?
A. The Caldas Novas dome and Caldas Ridge.
Q. Where is the Serra de Caldas located in Brazil?
A. In the state of Goiás.
Q. How high above the surrounding landscape is the Serra de Caldas perched?
A. About 300 meters (1,000 feet).
Q. What type of ecosystem covers the oval plateau of the Serra de Caldas?
A. A biologically rich savanna and grassland ecosystem called Cerrado.
Q. How much of Brazil’s land area is covered by the Cerrado biome?
A. About one-fifth.
Q. Which biome in South America does the Cerrado represent as the second-largest?
A. The Amazon.
Q. What are some notable features of the Cerrado ecosystem?
A. Thousands of plant, bird, reptile, and mammal species, many found nowhere else on the planet.
Q. Why is the area sometimes referred to as the “cradle of waters”?
A. (No specific information provided in the text)
Q. What satellite captured an image of the Serra de Caldas in 2025?
A. Landsat 9.
Q. Who took credit for the Landsat data used in the image?
A. Wanmei Liang