Geological-Geomorphological and Paleontological Heritage in the Algarve (Portugal) Applied to Geotourism and Geoeducation

A 3D virtual geological route on Digital Earth of the geological-geomorphological and paleontological heritage in the Algarve (Portugal) is presented, assessing the geological heritage of nine representative geosites. Eighteen quantitative parameters are used, weighing the scientific, didactic and cultural tourist interest of each site. A virtual route has been created in Google Earth, with overlaid georeferenced cartographies, as a field guide for students to participate and improve their learning. This free application allows loading thematic georeferenced information that has previously been evaluated by means of a series of parameters for identifying the importance and interest of a geosite (scientific, educational and/or tourist). The virtual route allows travelling from one geosite to another, interacting in real time from portable devices (e.g., smartphone and tablets), and thus making possible the ability to observe the relief and spatial geological distribution with representative images, as well as to access files with the description and analysis of each geosite. By using a field guide, each geosite is complemented with activities for carrying out and evaluating what has been learned; these resources allow a teaching–learning process where the student is an active part of the development and creation of content using new technologies that provide more entertaining and educational learning, teamwork and interaction with social networks. This itinerary allows the creation of attitudes and skills that involve geoconservation as an element for sustainable development.

Divulgação científica sobre os fósseis de Picos, Piauí

O município de Picos, na mesorregião sudeste do Estado do Piauí, Brasil, destaca-se pela grande diversidade fossilífera, representada principalmente por fósseis marinhos com idade em torno de 380 milhões de anos, pertencentes ao período geológico conhecido como Devoniano. Para difundir o conhecimento sobre esse tema, pesquisadores do Laboratório de Paleontologia da Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI), Campus Senador Helvídio Nunes de Barros, desenvolveram um projeto de divulgação científica sobre paleontologia em escolas públicas do município de Picos, com ênfase no patrimônio paleontológico local. Foram realizadas oito intervenções compostas por oficinas pedagógicas para crianças, palestras temáticas e exposições itinerantes de fósseis, para adolescentes e adultos da rede pública de educação, em oito unidades escolares, totalizando um público de 1.160 integrantes da comunidade escolar. Essas intervenções constituem parte de um programa de popularização da ciência paleontológica intitulado Programa de Divulgação Científica em Paleontologia na rede pública de ensino de Picos, Piauí, que visa facilitar o acesso à ciência, incentivar a preservação dos fósseis, e fomentar o desenvolvimento de uma relação de identidade cultural com o patrimônio fossilífero da região. Palavras-chave: Paleontologia; Popularização da Ciência; Nordeste do Brasil Scientific disclosure about fossils in Picos, Piauí Abstract: The Picos municipality in the southeastern mesoregion of the Piauí State, Brazil, stands out for the large fossiliferous diversity represented mainly by marine fossils aged around 380 million years, from the geological period known as Devonian. To disseminate knowledge on the subject, researchers from the Laboratório de Paleontologia da Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI), Campus Senador Helvídio Nunes de Barros, developed a project for the scientific divulgation on paleontology in public schools in the municipality of Picos, with an emphasis on the local paleontological heritage. Eight interventions were carried out, composed of pedagogical workshops for children, thematic lectures, and itinerant exhibitions of fossils for adolescents and adults from the public-school system in eight school units, totaling an audience of 1,160 members of the school community. These interventions are part of a program for the popularization of paleontological science entitled the Program for Scientific Dissemination in Paleontology in the public-school system of Picos, Piauí (Brazil), which aims to facilitate access to science, encourage the preservation of fossils, and foster the development of a relationship of cultural identity with the region's fossiliferous heritage. Keywords: Paleontology; Science Popularization; Northeast Brazil

Paleontological rescue, depositional environment, and stratigraphic correlation of a section of the Ponta Grossa Formation (Paraná Basin)

The urban area of Ponta Grossa (PR) occurs on one of the most abundant fossiliferous fields in the country, which records an endemic fauna that occurred in the Devonian of the Paraná Basin. The growing urbanization of the city increasingly buries these outcrops, and new works must be accompanied by a specialized team to safeguard the paleontological heritage. This is the case of the Bosque Mistral project, which exposed many layers of the Ponta Grossa Formation, rich in fossils and trace fossils. This study reports the main fossiliferous occurrences in the section, correlates the section with classical outcrops from the literature, and interprets the main depositional environments as well stratigraphic cycles using an integrated analysis of sedimentology and ichnology. The ichnological distribution also evidences the retrogradation pattern, and, particularly, the occurrence of ichnofabrics dominated by Zoophycos at the top of the section is a signature of high-frequency cycles associated with the transgressive systems tract. Macrofossill biodiversity varies according to the facies, in the sandy and silty layers different organisms from the muddy layers occur. In the former, the epibiont fauna (mainly trilobites and brachiopods) is predominant while in the muddy layers the predominance is the endobiont and semi-endobiont fauna (bivalve mollusks and infaunal brachiopods). In other words, the distribution of taxa across the layers is not random.

The didactic approach of Paleontology themes in a Middle School in Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil

Paleontology is a fundamental theme for the study and understanding of the origin and evolution of life on earth and is included in documents that govern basic education in Brazilian schools. The city of Ponta Grossa is widely known for its sites with abundant fossiliferous content. Based on the relevance of the theme and the characteristics of the region, this study evaluated the level of knowledge about Paleontology and the preservation of Paleontological Heritage among elementary school students of a public school. We used questionnaires, lectures, exhibitions of fossils from the region, and analysis of the textbooks used by the school with two classes of 7th and 8th grade. In general, the students of the four classes demonstrated a similar level of initial knowledge about the theme, presenting basic conceptualization difficulties and a lack of knowledge about the occurrence of fossils in the region. A lack of approach to the theme in the analyzed textbooks was also verified, which corroborates the low level of knowledge of the students. The activities applied were effective in the appropriation of knowledge, with changes in the level of understanding of the students at the end. The importance of using different methodologies for teaching this science is emphasized.

Paleontological rescue, depositional environment, and stratigraphic correlation of a section of the Ponta Grossa Formation (Paraná Basin)

The urban area of Ponta Grossa (PR) occurs on one of the most abundant fossiliferous fields in the country, which records an endemic fauna that occurred in the Devonian of the Paraná Basin. The growing urbanization of the city increasingly buries these outcrops, and new works must be accompanied by a specialized team to safeguard the paleontological heritage. This is the case of the Bosque Mistral project, which exposed many layers of the Ponta Grossa Formation, rich in fossils and trace fossils. This study reports the main fossiliferous occurrences in the section, correlates the section with classical outcrops from the literature, and interprets the main depositional environments as well stratigraphic cycles using an integrated analysis of sedimentology and ichnology. The ichnological distribution also evidences the retrogradation pattern, and, particularly, the occurrence of ichnofabrics dominated by Zoophycos at the top of the section is a signature of high-frequency cycles associated with the transgressive systems tract. Macrofossill biodiversity varies according to the facies, in the sandy and silty layers different organisms from the muddy layers occur. In the former, the epibiont fauna (mainly trilobites and brachiopods) is predominant while in the muddy layers the predominance is the endobiont and semi-endobiont fauna (bivalve mollusks and infaunal brachiopods). In other words, the distribution of taxa across the layers is not random.

The Paleontological Heritage of Northern Tocantins State and Southwest Maranhão State, Brazil: a Preliminary Synthesis.

This paper aims to present a preliminary synthesis of the Paleontological Heritage of northern Tocantins State and southwest Maranhão State. It is a compound mainly from Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks of the intracratonic Parnaíba Basin. Fossils from these regions include body fossils of sharks, gymnosperm trunks, mineralized ferns, ichnofossils of sauropods and theropods, and indeterminate leaf molds.