Madeira archipelago is characterized by a rich and valued geodiversity and biodiversity that should be uncovered, as well as conserved and preserved for current and future generations.
Geodiversity is the variety of geological environments, phenomena and active processes that give rise to landscapes, rocks, minerals, fossils, faults, folds, outcrops, sedimentary sequences, metamorphic aureoles, etc., as well as their self-originated entities, that are support life on Earth and are a unique source of paleobiodiversity knowledge.
As islands of volcanic origin, in the Madeira archipelago territory it is possible to find different rock types, minerals, fossils, volcanic structures and landforms that are the result of a complex geological evolution history, in a particular geographical setting.
Some places are defined as the best to observe and understand the archipelago’s geology. Those are called geosites and are also the places that best document the geological events and history. For these reasons, these places, that form the regional geological heritage, deserve to be preserved.
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(Adapted from Brilha, 2015) |