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There has been a lot of discussions on environmental issues in cemeteries during the last decades. Older cemeteries, prior to 1820, were planned with no specific norms for place and establishment. Environmental aspects and impacts were not taken into account and, consequently, they became potential sources for environmental contamination. Current paper identifies the environmental impacts in a cemetery in a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data are important for the town since the study provides the current environmental situation of the only municipal cemetery. They may be of great help for decision taking on the environmental risks involved and may be used for fitting within the environmental norms. Methodology comprised bibliographic research on the issue and research-activity comprising four stages: historical analysis of documents on the municipal cemetery, mapping of the area, analysis on legislation and on environmental impacts. One of the issues consists in the impossibility of enlargement of the fixed area within the town's perimeter hailing from the 20s. It has also been verified that out of the 19 items in legal criteria, only one is wholly complied with, 5 items are partially complied with and 13 are contrary to current legislation. Attendance to environmental issues and the management of residues generated should be undertaken for a decrease in environmental, social and economical impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we characterize pecopterids found in deposits of the Passa Dois Group (Upper Permian of the Paraná Basin) in a new outcrop, on the side of the BR-153 road, located at the municipality of Aceguá, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Pecopterids are common in the Permian paleophytogeogragic realms, signaling interglacial phases of the Late Paleozoic. Pecopteris are one of the floral elements of the Permian Glossopteris flora and become extinct in the Permo-Triassic boundary. Mudstone strata levels bearing phytofossils with different preservation qualities allowed the recognition of Pecopteris sp. and cf. Scolecopteris sp. floral elements. Taphonomic and depositional processes that conditioned the presercation of phytofossils are suggested accordingly the specimens described. Phytofossil specimen described support and highlight polymorphic nature of Gondwanan pecopterids. These new findings demonstrate potential for further paleobotanical studies in the upper portion of the Passa Dois Group and strength the notion of Permian strata for the Teresina Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]