Loriga glacial valley (Geosite), Seia

Above an altitude of about 780 meters the Loriga valley shows the action of the last glacial period, from which it gains the designation of Loriga glacial valley. With a typical U-shaped cross-section, the valley was sculpted by the Loriga glacier that extended close to the village with the same name. Along the valley floor, a sequence of four well-developed overdeepenings (Areia, Nave, Meio and Boeiro) occurs, as well as several lakes, especially close to the Torre Plateau. The slopes show wide outcrops of bare rock caused by glacial erosion and evidencing the effects of the joint patterns on the landforms. At its maximum extent, the Loriga glacier was 6,7 km long, being much smaller than the Zêzere glacier. These differences relate to the largest catchment of the latter, but also to the effects of the westerly winds that blowed the snow to the sheltered areas in the eastern part of the plateau. In spite of its smaller dimension, typical glacial landforms occur along the Loriga valley, such the glacial overdeepenings, locally named "covão", and the rock convexities (riegels). In addition to these, polished surfaces, roches moutounnées, glacial striae and post-glacial sandy deposits in the overdeepenings.

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