Middle Jurassic at Praia da Mareta, Algarve

Portugal is known for its extraordinary beaches and inviting climate. But on our beaches there is much more to discover than just sun and sea. There is a country rich in geological data that allows us to reconstruct our history.

By observing geological occurrences in a given location, it is possible to understand what kind of environments existed and how they evolved. Aspects such as present lithologies or fossils allow deducing environments that existed in the past and, through tectonic and geomorphological aspects, it is possible to deduce how the site evolved after the deposition of strata.

Praia da Mareta, located in the Algarve Basin, is a place of high scientific and didactic value of the Portuguese South Zone’s Geological Heritage, particularly important for reconstructing the history of the Earth in the Jurassic period. This contemporary basin of the Lusitanian Basin (West Rim) would have been formed during the opening of the Tethys and Atlantic Ocean, undergoing an inversion, a phenomenon induced by the collision of the African and Eurasian plates in the Upper Cretaceous. At Praia da Mareta, the rocks that emerge are practically from the Middle Jurassic to the Upper Jurassic.

Due to this, Praia da Mareta is an excellent example of how the Algarve region, so known for its beaches, has an admirable geological wealth and still little explored by tourists.

One of the goals of this work is to develop interest in geology and geological research, to develop science for citizens, involving them in geoscientific research. Simplifying geological information and developing interest in geoscientific research brings citizens closer to nature, promoting sustainability and heritage protection, namely geological heritage.