Draft:Middle Plateau of Rio Grande do Sul

The Planalto Médio is the designation for a physiographic region in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It comprises the cities of Passo Fundo, Carazinho, Cruz Alta, Ijuí, Panambi, Tupanciretã, Soledade, Tapera, Espumoso, and Júlio de Castilhos.

Background
It covers an area of 31,252 km². Basaltic soil predominates throughout the region, with some sandstone formations between Júlio de Castilhos and Cruz Alta, where the soil is considerably poorer. It is situated at an elevation of approximately 200 meters in the Upper Jacuí River valley, 400 to 500 meters in the west, and 700 meters in the east.

The region consists primarily of open fields with gallery forests. In the eastern part of the Jacuí River, there are areas of dense pine forests, and on the valley slopes, there are broadleaf forests. Broadleaf forests line the southern edge of the plateau, where it borders the Depressão Central, in a wide area stretching from Jaguari, through Mata, São Pedro do Sul, Santa Maria, and into the Jacuí River valley.