J. Gafarot's photos with the keyword: Geologia

The Arrábida region contemplates several geological phenomena representative of the evolution of the Earth, for example, the Arrabidine chain is the only one on the Atlantic coast that witnesses the propagation to the West of the progressive closure of the Tethys Ocean and the consequent formation of the Mediterranean Sea due to the collision, since the Upper Cretaceous, between the African and Eurasian plates.

A study coordinated by the geologist at the Geopark Naturtejo reveals in detail the environmental conditions that existed in the Penha Garcia geomonument, almost 500 million years old and full of marks of marine life. “The layers of sedimentary rocks in Penha Garcia were formed during the opening of an ocean, in a period that was particularly important for the diversification of animal life on our planet”. The dynamics of the Earth during such a long period of time led to the formation of a large estuary in the vicinity of what is now Penha Garcia, originating in an important river that would bring sediments from the region that currently constitutes the Northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.