The geological formations of Ponta do Telheiro, on the west coast of the municipality of Vila do Bispo, are «present in geology manuals throughout Europe» and there are even those who «go on holidays in the municipality just to come here to see this structure».
The words are from Beatriz Oliveira, geologist and author of the Guide/Route on the geological wealth of that municipality that the Vila do Bispo City Council will launch this summer.
The specialist, who is currently a teacher at the EB 2,3 School in Vila do Bispo and also worked at the Centro Ciência Viva de Lagos, in addition to having spent a month on board the «Creoula» to monitor the work of scientists in the Selvagens Islands, was student at the University of Algarve and, as such, was one of the guests to present her work at the recent visit by the rector of UAlg António Branco to the municipality of Vila do Bispo.
In addition to Ponta do Telheiro, the territory of this municipality on the Costa Vicentina has many other examples of a rich geological heritage, such as the dinosaur footprints on the beaches of Salema and Santa, the geological remains of the Paleozoic at Praia do Castelejo, or Praia da Mareta , in Sagres.
The star is even Ponta do Telheiro, from the Paleozoic-Tertiary, where, among other details, there is a sandstone from Silves that is white (and not reddish), which is, according to Beatriz Oliveira, still “inexplicable”.
But what gives it the status of international attraction it is its "famous discontinuity". Between the folds at the bottom of the cliff and the bands above it “there is a discontinuity of 90 million years”, as if, in the thick book of the geological history of that area, there were dozens of pages missing. "It is not known what the explanation for this discontinuity is, which attracts the attention and eyes of all those interested in geology in Europe", but it is believed that this disappearance of a slice of 90 million may have had to do with erosion, says Beatriz Oliveira, with her eyes shining and with the profound attention of the dean of the University of Algarve.
All aspects that will soon be described in detail in the guide to be edited by the City Council and that already attract many visitors to the municipality, in such a way that Beatriz Oliveira guarantees that «at this moment geological tourism already produces economic wealth in the municipality of Vila do Bishop, there are people who come here for vacations because there is a famous structure here like the one in Ponta do Telheiro».
For this reason, Luís Azevedo Rodrigues, director of the Centro Ciência Viva de Lagos, himself a paleontologist and one of the researchers of dinosaur footprints in the territory of Vila do Bispo, left the challenge to the mayor Adelino Soares and the rector António Branco , for the creation of a «Geopark», like those that exist in Idanha or Arouca.
«The municipalities of Vila do Bispo and Aljezur could think of joining together to carry out an in-depth inventory of their geological heritage, taking advantage of the work of Beatriz Oliveira and others, in order to create a Geopark here», challenged Luis Azevedo Rodrigues.
The director of CCV Lagos added that “there are already companies that have installed themselves in the neighboring municipality of Aljezur to bring university students, interns and other interested people, to do research and take tours on the geology of the area. It is an important market niche, which is already bringing, for example, English students who spend two weeks a year, making this internship part of their courses' curriculum».
Adelino Soares, mayor of Vila do Bispo, took the opportunity to underline the interest with which his local authority sees these issues, which will now include the publication of the Geology Guide to be launched shortly. “Whoever is interested in the rich geology that we have here is a tourist who doesn't only come in the summer, but who look for us throughout the year,” said the mayor.
Beatriz Oliveira, for her part, spoke about the difficulties of protecting the geological heritage. «For us human beings, it is easier to protect a fortress, which may be centuries old but was built in a more recent time, than to protect the great geological heritage that we have, which also tells other stories of the Earth, not stories with centuries, but with millions of years".
«In Idanha, the Geopark that was created there gave visibility to this region that otherwise would not exist. And it has attracted visitors and tourists, with benefits for the economy. If the local population obtains benefits with a certain protection status, they will be in favor of that protection”, added the geologist.
Rocks are like a book for geologists. “They tell what happened millions of years ago and are the only faithful and credible source we have to study what happened in that most remote past”, emphasizes Beatriz Oliveira. Therefore, to help the general public discover this history with millions of years, the Paleo-Geological Roadmap for the municipality of Vila do Bispo will be published. A way to make known a rich heritage and to add another experience of great interest to those on holiday in that area of the Costa Vicentina.
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