SÃO PAIO (LABRUGE, NW PORTUGAL),
AN EMBRYO TO A COASTAL GEOPARK
M. Ab unhosa
1*
, M. A. A aújo
2
& P. B. Almeida
3
1
CEAUCP, Po o, Po ugal,
2
CEGOT, FLUP - U. Po o, Po o, Po ugal,
3
GAMVC, Vila do Conde,
Po ugal
* Co esponding au ho (manuel.ab [email protected])
Keywo ds: São Paio, Lab uge, geosi e, a chaeosi e, Cen o In e p e a i o do Cas o de São
Paio, Geopa k
São Paio (W 08º 43' 46,978'', N 41º 16' 49,165'', WGS84) is simul aneously a geosi e, a
geomo phosi e, an a chaeosi e and a eligious cul si e. I s co e has ha dly 2 ha in a ea bu holds
ou s anding ele ance in scien i ic, cul u al, educa ional, en i onmen al and socio-economic
e ms. I is included in a P o ec ed Landscape A ea (Paisagem P o egida Regional do Li o al de
Vila do Conde e Rese a O ni ológica de Mindelo) ha was ecen ly de ined wi h a ocus
mos ly in en i onmen al coas al asse s based on ele an sup a-local landscape, geology, auna,
lo a, cul u al and conse a ion alues and based in sus ainable ac i i ies, wi h na u e ou ism
ha ing a bold place. São Paio is he e a p oposed ocal poin o he u u e e alua ion o he
easibili y o a coas al geopa k wi hin he as Me opoli an A ea o Po o.
São Paio is loca ed in no he n Po ugal, 15.8 km no h om he Dou o i e mou h and 6.7 km
sou h om he mou h o he i e A e. I consis s in an isola ed ocky cli on his s e ch o low
no h-wes e n Po uguese coas wi h i s highes poin ca. 23 mamsl o e he o en ough A lan ic
Ocean. I s dominion o e he coas al landscape is highligh ed by Blue Flag sandy beaches o
Lab uge o he sou h, and Mo ei ó o he no h. I akes posi ion in on o an ex ensi e low
slope polycyclic li o al pla o m ca ed a leas since la e Cenozoic in a c ys alline basemen
incised by small i e s, lea ing emnan s o a hin sedimen a y co e up o he Holocene.
São Paio has p obably he no he nmos onsho e ou c op o a segmen o an old
polyme amo phic con inen al c us in eg a ed in he Ossa-Mo ena Zone o he Ibe ian Massi .
The con ac o he eas is shown he e and made h ough a majo ec onic su u e wi h Cen al
Ibe ian Zone a iscan g ani es and me amo phic ocks om la e P o e ozoic-Paleozoic. Swa ms
o de o med and unde o med elsic eins c issc oss gneiss, migma i e and g ani e ou c ops.
Ano ogenic basic dykes and aul s a ec ing hem p obably ela e o he opening o he A lan ic
Ocean du ing Mesozoic o ep esen la e de o ma ion phases, some o hem wi h seismogenic
cha ac e .
Following exhuma ion, deep geology con olled qua e na y geology and geomo phology, no
only p o iding suppo and ma e ials, bu also con ibu ing o i s e olu ion in in e play wi h
coas al p ocesses, clima e change and o he ex e nal p ocesses. In ac , ec onic ea u es a São
Paio empha ically cons ain geomo phic ea u es like linea cli s. Neo ec onic ac i i y has been
p oposed as a cause o he unique and peculia sequence in al ime y o se e al ossil no ches
ypical o ha d ock sho es in meso idal high ene gy en i onmen . We ind he e in associa ion
wi h in equen coe al ma ine deposi s o be da ed soon, sugges ing s anding wa e le els
du ing he las in e glacial pe iod and i s ec onic disloca ion. Nea by, a small ou c op wi h a
las in e glacial ma ine laye , supe posed by a soli luxi e o ma ion and aeolian sands TL da ed
o ca 84.k yea s BP demons a es he complex e olu ion o he en i onmen al condi ions and
clima ic changes du ing he las 125.000 yea s. São Paio alone holds ock ypes o a ied o igin,
e idence o olding, me amo phism, magma ism, and eco ds a ich sequence o shea zones and
duc ile o agile ac u es, all demons a ing a as sequence o geological e en s o en
disce ning clea s a ig aphic ela ions in equen elsewhe e, all wi h high ea h science and
educa ional ele ance, whose s udy con inues.
An a chaeosi e o in e na ional impo ance was disco e ed he e in he decade o 1950. I is he
only “cas o ma í imo” in Po uguese e i o y ha is also he oldes and he sou he nmos o a
se ies o 1s I on Age walled se lemen s buil in NW and N o Ibe ian Peninsula wi h ound
s one ha ched houses and aking ad an age om hei hanging posi ion o e he ocean. P o o-
his o ic peoples p obably used a small beach p o ec ed by ock walls as a po . Rock eng a ings
we e insc ibed in São Paio ock ou c ops. Sca e ed a ound, se e al much olde p e-his o ic
s one ools we e ound. Much o his is ye o be s udied by mode n a chaeological science. The
ou s anding impo ance o his ich p ehis o ic si e and o he ma e ial emains se up he ocal
poin o a long ime p ojec ecen ly b ough o ligh by he municipali y o Vila do Conde: an
onsi e in e p e a ion and museological cen e aimed o demons a e and suppo esea ch and
educa ional ac i i ies in ol ing he Cas o de São Paio, conside ing Geology, Geomo phology,
Biology and A chaeology.
Along he coas al ou c ops uns a cen u ies old oo pa h a ian o he Way o S . James
(“Caminho de San iago”) leading o San iago de Compos ela, allowing pilg ims o pay a isi o
gi e a p aye he e a he old chapel o São Paio, also che ished by locals and o eigne s.
I is clea o he au ho s a sus ained c escendo in in e es and e ec i e ac ions aken by he
egional au ho i ies, he municipali y and local au ho i ies, local and egional cul u al and
en i onmen al ONG, a b oad scien i ic communi y, he local popula ion and he economic
playe s. Howe e hey a e no ye coo dina ed. This i s public p oposal is hoped o aise a
common conscience needed o in eg a e a concep and mul iply e o s, plans, ac ions and
success, se ing his u u e based in geo ou ism as a li o al geopa k.
Wi h such asse s, why no conside São Paio an emb yo o a Geopa k ha alues hem all?
Fig.1. Pe spec i e syn he ic iew o São Paio, Lab uge, Vila do Conde, Po ugal (ca 300x200m,
No h o he le ).
Fig.2. Le : ossil no ch 9 mamsl. Righ : ma ine sedimen s ossilizing he same no ch.