Pontal Carrapateira - Portugal 2024 (from above)

Welcome to the living museum. Explore the history and the architectural heritage of the village enjoy the vast panorama and the rich natural habitat along the way.
The surface of Pontal da Carrapateira - which begins at the southern end of Praia da Bordeira beach and ends at the north side of Praia do Amado beach - is formed by dolomitic limestones, dolomites, shale and fossiliferous marls. The high and rocky coastline is punctuated by small beaches, protected by dune systems, or by more arid cliffs. The rocks of Praia do Amado beach are constituted by the sandstones of Silves, which result from the consolidation of sands, and with a large predominance of a mineral, quartz. These sandstones are clearly of continental origin and were brought to the site by courses of fluvial waters.
From the middle of the beach to the south end, the Paleozoic Era, consisting of schist, grauvaques and siltitos, begins to appear. The siltstones have a dark gray to black color, laminates, and have a varied mineralogical composition.
Many millions of years ago, this entire region was closer to the equator than it is today. Sea and surface temperatures were higher than today and in what we now call Carrapateira there would be a tropical coastal zone with an adjacent coral reef. Since the Earth is a living fabric, constantly changing, much has changed from this then. Thanks to the rocks and fossils sedimented in the rocks, man can understand his own history, where he came from and where he goes.
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