The history of the twentieth century is deeply marked by the arms race and the two World Wars that ravaged the European continent. During this period, the race for wolfram assumes high importance and remains large-scale until the late 1950s. Portugal emerges as the largest European producer of this mineral, benefiting from the richness of its geological resources, multiplying a little throughout the country the mining explorations that profoundly mark the evolution of the local landscape and economy. With the reduction in demand for this mineral from the middle of the century and the emergence of new producing markets, interest in wolfram in Portugal has declined, leading to the abandonment of explorations. The structures of this golden period of mining in Portugal remain in the landscape, still marking the regions that surround them.
SUGGESTIONS OF THE ROUTE- OTHER NEARBY PLACES TO VISIT
Geosite Conrad and Moho discontinuities in Lagoa
In this geosite, in addition of the uncommon rocks, we can also see the Conrad and Moho seismic discontinuities. "Seismic discontinuities" are limits that separate different types of materials inside the planet Earth and are known for the c ...
In this geosite we can observe a rock from the Earth`s mantle. It is called by Dunite and is a rock of the peridotite group consisting essentially of dark minerals. This minerals are rich in magnesium and iron, such as olivines, pyroxenes a ...
In this geosite there is an important discontinuity between the ocellated gneisses (clearer rock) of the Armorica continent with about 500 million years and the amphibolites (darker rock) ancient basalts of the bottom of the ocean Galiza-Tr ...
This geosite consists in an old volcanic rock, about 430 million years old, originating from volcanoes, which were situated on the shores of a primitive ocean, which is represented in Monte de Morais. The original volcanic rocks underwent m ...
The Gnaisse of Lagoa is a rock with about 500 million. This rock resulted from the metamorphism of granites and it is formed by large, clear and elongated feldspar minerals that resulted from the high pressure and movement to which the rock ...
In this geosite you can see rocks that waere formed at the bottom of the ancient Rheic ocean. This ocean disappeared due to the collision of the continents that limited it. This is the best proof of the presence of an ancient oceanic crust, ...
In the village of Salselas there are traces of an old limestone exploration. Limestones are very common rocks on the coast and south of Portugal but are rare in the northern interior. This small outcrop constitutes an example of the use of ...