Pittsburg-Johnstown University Geology Club Field Trip to Portugal

During the last 7 days Geo Logica took the Pittsburg-Johnstown University Geology Club on a field trip in Portugal that started in the north of the country and went all the way to the its southernmost tip.

This field trip was entitled “from Pangea to the Atlantic Opening”.

The group crossed the Douro valley and understood its geological evolution, from an endorheic to an exorheic basin, and its influence on the local terroir. Then looked at the Variscan Orogeny and the formation of Pangea at Foz do Douro metamorphic complex together with local expert Monica Sousa.

Afterwards, drove along Portugal’s central Atlantic coast, passing by Nazaré, Alcobaça, Óbidos and Peniche where the club observed salt diapirs, exhumed oil field, the formation process of giant waves and the Toarcian GSSP at Ponta do Trovão (Peniche).

Continuing southwards along the country, the participants went inside a squeezed salt diapir at Loulé, discovering how this structure was formed and why our lives wouldn’t be possible without the salt of the Earth!

Almost at the end of the field trip the group observed one of the most amazing outcrops in the world, the Ponta do Telheiro Angular Unconformity at Vila do Bispo. If James Hutton was Portuguese, this place would be his Siccar Point! In a nutshell, at this extraordinary Geosite the Pennsylvanian (Carboniferous) Brejeira Formation turbidites, tightly folded by the Variscan Orogeny, are truncated and overlain by Upper Triassic Silves Formation red beds, materializing a sedimentary hiatus of more than 70 million years. A superb chevron anticline affecting Carboniferous turbidites resembles a shed roof gives the name of this site, known as Praia do Telheiro.

The last outcrops visited where observed during a superb boat trip along the Central Algarve coast, where the students had the opportunity to study coastal erosional processes and even observe dolphins in their natural habitat.

Before flying back home,, the group had a final cultural stop at Lisbon, the country Capital.

For more info about Geo Logica Field Trips for Universities please contact us via letsdiscover@geologica.xyz




From Satellite to Field: Application of recent technologies in structural geological mapping

Last month Geo Logica run the course “From Satellite to Field: Application of recent technologies in structural geological mapping” in partnership Associação Portuguesa de Geólogos.

The main objective was to learn about a methodology that uses modern technologies (GIS freeware and geological mobile apps) together with satellite imagery to carry out detailed structural geology mapping in the field.

This three day training course included two days of in-class lectures and data compilation to use in the field, and one day ground checking previously compiled data and collecting new field data with GPS mobile apps.

The lectures were held in the Geological Museum of the National Energy and Geology Laboratory (LNEG) and field work took place between Palmela and Serra de São Luis (Portugal).

Geo Logica would like thanks APG for organising this training course, as well as the participants for attending and contributing for a successful course, and LNEG for hosting the event in the always mesmerising Museu Geológico de Portugal.

More info about this training course on our website: From Satellite to Field training course

Third Edition of the Geo Logica Salt Basins Field Trip

Last week latest we run the third Iteration of the Geo Logica Salt Basins field-based training course in portugal.

Not even the forecasted rain unsettled the participants urge to go back to the field looking to the amazing salty outcrops… salt geos don’t dissolve!!!

We are honoured for once again have gathered another enthusiastic group of geoscientist from academia, mining and energy industries.

Geo Logica hopes to see you all again (includ. all past field trip participants!) in the future somewhere on this planet in constant change!

For all those yet to be met in future training courses, keep tuned for the upcoming news regarding next year fieldtrip and training courses:

Related links: Geo Logica Training Courses

GeoAdventure Via Ferrata Weekend In portugal

This weekend we had another great Via Ferrata GeoAdventure in Central Portugal with a cheerful group, now Geo Logica friends!

We had the opportunity of understanding the origin of the rocks and landscapes where we hiked and climbed while discovering the local culture and gastronomy.

Many thanks for your companionship and spirit during this excellent adventure on a planet in constant change.

Related links: GeoAdventure

Second Edition of the Geo Logica Salt Basins Field trip

The second edition of the Geo Logica Salt basins Field Trip in Portugal was organised in collaboration with the AAPG Salt Basins Technical Interest Group and took place between March 27th to 31st, 2023.

Once again the field trip counted with participants from both academia and industry, from oil and gas, mining and energy storage sectors. It was lead by Pedro Barreto and counted with Prof. Ian Davison as main instructor and Ricardo Pereira as instructor and guide.

What a fantastic week this was with such an amazing and enthusiastic group of colleagues… now also friends!
A huge thanks to you all ( Michael Hudec, Mark Rowan, Csaba Krézsek, Lucia-Elena Soveja-Iacob, Mauricio Garcia, Christopher Paschke, Ana María García Domínguez, Laura Cortes Hermoso de Mendoza, Paul Griffiths, Holly Vescogni, Rui Frutuoso, Doug Kepert, Aleksis Vigdorciks, Gonzalo Zamora Valcarce and Pedro Baptista) for believing in our project and for your support and thrust during the second iteration of Geo Logica AAPG Salt Basins Technical Interest Group Field Trip.

Carbonate Depositional Systems and Interaction with salt diapirs in Central Portugal

Recently, Geo Logica tailor-suited a field training course in Portugal for a major energy company, focusing on carbonate depositional systems and interaction with diapirs. Together with carbonates specialist Prof. Ana Azerêdo from FCUL’s Geology Department, Geo Logica run another successful field trip in the Lusitanian Basin:

https://ciencias.ulisboa.pt/pt/noticia/25-05-2023/excursao-geologica-de-campo-na-bacia-lusitanica

During its preparation, became clearer that several outcrops in the Lusitanian Basin present excellent examples of the interplay between carbonate depositional systems and salt structures. The work developed resulted in Geo Logica’s new field course that highlights the implications of halokinesis on carbonate facies distribution, reservoir properties and source rock distribution as well as trap geometry and seal properties.

This 4-day field course in central Portugal entitled “Carbonates & salt structures” is available at request for companies, institutions and groups.

Related Links: https://www.geologica.xyz/geotraining

Geo Logica Salt Basins Field Trip (2022)

Geo Logica Salt Basins Field Trip (2022)

This first Geo Logica Salt field trip in Portugal was organised in collaboration with the AAPG Salt Basins Technical Interest Group and took place between October 13th to 17th, 2022.

The field trip counted with 20 participants from both academia and industry, from oil and gas, mining and energy storage sectors. It was lead by Pedro Barreto and counted with Prof. Ian Davison as main instructor and Ricardo Pereira as instructor and guide.

I.G.I. Partnership: Together we go further

New Partnership with IGI Ltd.

It is a great pleasure to inform that Geo Logica just started a partnership with IGI (www.igiltd.com) to run joint field trips in Portugal, which will cover a multitude of themes, including Petroleum Systems, Geothermal Energy and Gas Storage. 

The Lusitanian Basin, in the Lisbon and West Country region of Portugal, is an open geological gallery, with records of rifting (opening of the Atlantic Ocean), basin inversion (ongoing Africa-Eurasia collision), magmatic activity, salt tectonics, and of life on Earth in the last 200 million years. 

Nature is spectacular, with many outcrops in coastal cliffs, the weather is field-friendly during most of the year, and the region is easily accessible, with numerous sites of historical interest, if you ever get bored of looking at the rocks!

To find out more information, please see our joint field trips page here, or consult Geo Logica website (www.geologica.xyz).

Carnival GeoAdventure Vias Ferratas

This was a two-day adventure into inner remote Portugal to climb two via ferrata while understanding how plate tectonics work. We went up to go along a 460-440 millions year old beaches deposited by extinct seas that have been raised, folded and faulted throughout millions of years into the vertical.

On the first day geoadventures learned and practice basic techniques on a low difficulty Via Ferrata in Serra do Muradal while discovering the sediments deposited by Rheic Ocean, an ancient ocean that no longer exits.

On the second day GeoAdventurers climbed a 2100m long grade K3 Ferrata, crossing two suspended cable bridges, and ending in Siza Viera Watch Tower in Serra das Talhadas while discovering the result of collision between continents that created super continent Pangea.

Come with us discover a planet in constant change❣️🌍

Tides of Change!

Praia da Ursa, Parque Natural Sintra-Cascais, Lisboa, Portugal 2021

This is my favourite beach in Lisbon area and is always a great pleasure to bring people here.

This time was a climber eager to climb classic routes while learning more about geology. A short easy climb along a rotten mafic dike intruding granite! At by the time we got on top, the tide was going up.
These fotos were taken from the top of Calhau dos Corvos, while a abseiling it. No need to say that we ended up in the water and walked to the shore!

Many geological wonders can be seen at this amazing beach. More will follow.

Come see Earth’s logic. Come with us see a planet in constant change ❣️🌎