Serra Geral

The Serra Geral (General Mountains) is a mountain range in southern Brazil, constituting the southern portion of the Serra do Mar system which runs along Brazil's southeastern coast.

[1] The Serra Geral runs parallel to the Atlantic coast in Santa Catarina and northern Rio Grande do Sul states, separating a narrow coastal plain from an interior plateau.

The plateau to the west of the range is drained by tributaries of the Uruguay River, including the Pelotas and Canoas, and by the Jacuí River and its tributaries, which drains south into the Lagoa dos Patos of Rio Grande do Sul.

The plateau is the coldest part of Brazil, with frequent frosts and yearly snow, being home to the montane Araucaria moist forests.

The mountains and plateau are mainly basalt, formed as part of the Paraná large igneous province which erupted in the early Cretaceous, and which has matching segments in Angola and Namibia in Africa.