Environmental Quality of Recent Sediments in the Gulf of Cariaco

The Gulf of Cariaco occupies a predominant place in the northeastern region of Venezuela due to its strategic potential from an economic and food security point of view. On the other hand it is a very interesting region from the geological geochemical and hydrodynamic point of view due to the interactions between the Caribbean and South American plates which cause different tectonic faults of regional and local interest as in the case of the Pilar fault an intense coastal upwelling during the first months of the year that originate a high biological productivity. The concentrations and spatial distribution of the different geochemical variables evaluated and the environmental quality of its sediments are a consequence of the environmental hydrographic geological topographical hydrological conditions and human activities that take place in the basin of this important body of water.