About

I would like to thank you for visiting our website and to express my hope that you find everything you need while you are with us and that any feedback you can provide will help us clear up any mistakes or technical hitches in the site. CPRM is legally bound to act as Brazil’s official agency for gathering data and information on Brazilian geology, minerals and water resources. We manage a complex set of databases and theme-based georeferenced information systems, as well as a vast collection of documents, maps and images, which we put at the general public’s disposal to the best of our means. We are the Geological Survey of Brazil, or simply CPRM, which is the acronym for the company’s official name in Portuguese: Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais.

CPRM was set up in 1969 with a mix of state and private ownership. With the onset of challenging circunstances in the nation, especially as of the second half of the 1980s, CPRM underwent deep-rooted institutional changes that culminated in Law number 8,970, of December 27, 1994, which made it entirely state owned. This changed things on a practical level because all private service provision ceased and the company took on its current role as the Nation’s Geological Survey. The focus shifted to basic geology and hydrology, with the concomitant development of different applications, such as environmental geology, hydrogeology and geological hazards. All corporate activities were halted and institutional partnerships with other federal, state and local government agencies became the order of the day. Today, we are about 1.700 professionals, of whom some 500 are geologists, hydrogeologists, hydrology engineers and mine engineers. A third hold a masters or doctoral degree. This body of highly specialized professionals, whose knowledge on Brazilian geology and hydrology is unmatched, is unquestionably our greatest asset.

CPRM has operational offices throughout Brazil. There are eight regional offices in Manaus (Amazonas), Belém (Pará), Recife (Pernambuco), Goiânia (Goiás), Salvador (Bahia), Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais), São Paulo (São Paulo) and Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul). These are where projects are carried out and where most of the institution’s operations are centered. We also have three smaller operations facilities in Porto Velho (Rondônia), Teresina (Piauí) and Fortaleza (Ceará). There are three support centers, or small offices that provide representation and operational support, in Natal (Rio Grande do Norte), Cuiabá (Mato Grosso) and Criciúma (Santa Catarina). The company’s political headquarter is in Brasilia, while the main administrative office and technical departments are in Rio de Janeiro. CPRM’s three training centers are in Apiaí (São Paulo), Morro do Chapéu (Bahia) and Caçapava do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul).

This is the Geological Survey of Brazil. Please browse through our site at your leisure and should you not encounter the information you require or if the tools available do not permit a suitable selection of data, please contact our customer service (seus@cprm.gov.br) and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Best geological wishes,
Chairman



Our History

The Decree-Law n.º 764, of August 15, 1969, authorized CPRM creation, which had its first statute approved by Decree n.º 66.058, of January 13, 1970, beginning its activities on January 30th, 1970.

On December 28th, 1994, by Law n.º 8970, CPRM became a state-owned company, with functions of Geological Survey of Brazil, and its Bylaw was approved by Decree n.º 1524, of June 20, 1995.



Mission, Vision, Values and Principles

The Geological Survey of Brazil is a state-owned company, under the auspices of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, that carries out the functions of the Geological Survey of Brazil.

Mission

To produce and divulge geoscientific knowledge with excellence, contributing to the improvement of life quality and sustainable development of Brazil.

View

Be a reference in the generation of knowledge and in the development of effective solutions in Geosciences for the well-being of Brazilian society.

Values and Principles
  • Ethical and Transparent Management:
    To consider the public interest above all, making available to society mechanisms for monitoring and supervising the company's actions.
  • Technical and Scientific Excellence:
    To assure total user satisfaction by providing products of recognized quality and technical credibility.
  • Training and Development:
    To make valuing its professional resources one of the institution’s scientific and cultural assets.
  • Social Responsibility and Ecological Awareness:
    To encourage the sustainable use of mineral and water resources in perfect harmony with the environment and with society’s current and future needs.
  • Geology for Society Welfare:
    To add value to geological knowledge so that it becomes indispensable to the development of the country’s mineral and water sectors and land use.
  • Water - Vital and Strategic Asset:
    Water is a vital, strategic asset for the whole of humanity, whose availability and sustainable use must be assured for present and future generations.
  • Employees Health, Safety and Welfare:
    To promote workers health and safety by providing the necessary technical support so that all areas can anticipate and prevent accidents.


Our Museums



Addresses

The Geological Survey of Brazil - CPRM is present in the Federal District and in 12 Regional Branches, throughout Brazil. Its staff has geologists and engineers, specialists of other areas and support professionals.



Organization Chart

The Geological Survey of Brazil - CPRM is linked to the Ministry of Mines and Energy - MME.

The image below presents the current organizational structure of CPRM.


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Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs

What are we doing?
  • Alignment of the Multiannual Plan (2016-2019) goals with the goals and targets of the SDGs
  • CPRM and SDGs Areas of Operation
  • Sustainability Program
  • Pro-Equity Gender, Race and Diversity Program
What is the 2030 Agenda?

In September 2015, world leaders met at UN headquarters in New York and decided on an action plan to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure that people achieve peace and prosperity: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which enshrines 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The 2030 Agenda and the SDGs state that, to put the world on a sustainable path, bold and transformative action is urgently needed. The SDGs are an ambitious to-do list for people everywhere in the world to be accomplished by 2030. If we meet our goals, we will be the first generation to eradicate extreme poverty and to save future generations from the worst adverse effects of climate change.