Geological landscape: Extent of territory dominated by one or more rock types which gives it

characteristic features such as relief, soil quality, water courses or the distribution of living
beings.
A geological landscape results from the type of rocks, combined with the action of the climate
over time, with influence on the following aspects: the type of relief; the quality of the soil; the
water courses, and the distribution of living beings.

- Rocks give rise to soils which, in turn, condition plants and animals.
- Rocks also influence landforms and watercourses over time.
All these features of the landscape determine the way human beings occupy them.

Main features of the geological landscape: rock and soil types; landforms; watercourses; flora;
fauna; and human constructions.

Magmatic Landscapes:
- Madeira and Azores Islands: Basalt
- Northern and central areas of Portugal: Granite
Sedimentary landscapes:
- Central and southern areas of Portugal: limestones, sandstones
- Serras de Aire and Cadeeiros: limestones
- Ria Formosa: sandstones and limestones
Metamorphic Landscapes:
 - Alentejo: marbles, schists
- Trás-os-Montes: schists
Rock Cycle

Rocks: are coherent aggregates of naturally occurring minerals, composed of a single or

several minerals, whose origin derives from one or several geological processes: magmatic,
metamorphic and sedimentary.

Examples:
Magmatic rocks:
Granite is a plutonic magmatic rock, consisting of quartz, feldspar and mica (biotite) minerals;

Basalt is an extrusive magmatic rock, consisting of the mineral olivine;

Sedimentary rocks:
Limestone is a sedimentary rock consisting of calcite (calcium carbonate), sometimes also
including magnesium carbonate

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed normally of quartz, but can have appreciable
quantities of feldspars, micas and/or impurities.

Metamorphic Rocks:
Marble is a metamorphic rock, composed mainly of the minerals calcite and/or dolomite;

Shale is a metamorphic rock consisting of the minerals: muscovite, biotite, chlorite, talc and
serpentine.

Geology: is the science of the Earth dedicated to the study of the Earth's crust, the matter that
composes it, its formation mechanism, the changes that occur since its origin and the structure
that its surface currently has.
Mineral - Solid, natural, inorganic substance with a crystalline arrangement (all atoms are
arranged in all directions) and a defined chemical composition.

Minerals can be identified, for the most part, by observing the results of some very simple
tests that allow us to verify characteristics such as colour, lustre, trace, hardness, cleavage or
reaction with acids.

Colour - Property that should be observed in a recent fracture surface and is related, among
others, to the mineral composition and presence of impurities.
Idiochromatic Minerals: They have a constant colour regardless of the sample.
Allochromatic Minerals: These have a variable colour from sample to sample.

Colour is one of the easiest properties to observe in a mineral, but it does not always serve to
identify it. The same mineral, such as quartz, can acquire different colours and different
minerals can have the same colour.

Brightness - Property that corresponds to the aspect that minerals present when reflecting the
light on a surface of recent fracture.
Examples:
- Mineral with metallic shine: pyrite
 - Mineral with a non-metallic lustre: quartz, calcite
- Mineral with vitreous luster: obsidian
Fracture - Characteristic property of minerals that, when subjected to a shock, break into
irregular surfaces.

Cleavage - Characteristic property of minerals that, when subjected to a shock, fracture

according to well defined directions.
A mineral shows cleavage when, subjected to a shock, it breaks away according to flat, shiny
surfaces.
When the rupture surface is irregular, it is said to present fracture.

Trace or streak - Colour of a mineral when reduced to powder.

In many minerals, the colour of the stripe is different from the colour of the mineral.

Magnetism - Property of minerals that are attracted by magnets.

Hardness - Resistance that a certain mineral offers when scratched.

It can be determined by the Mohs scale:
1-Talco; 2-Gypsum; 3-Calcite; 4-Fluorite; 5-Apatite;
6- Feldspar (orthosis); 7- Quartz 8 - Topaz 9- Corindum; 10 -Diamond.

Hardness of other materials:

Fingernail - 2.5; Coin - 3; Glass - 5; Penknife - 5.5; File - 6.5

Effervescence - Property of minerals that when in contact with acids releases carbon dioxide.
Minerals such as calcite, formed by calcium carbonate, react with hydrochloric acid, releasing
carbon dioxide.

Crystalline arrangement of minerals - The atoms that constitute minerals are arranged in an
orderly fashion, in all directions of space, forming crystalline structures or crystals. If well
developed, crystals are visible to the naked eye.
In the formation of sedimentary rocks, which cover most of the Earth's surface, different
stages are involved: weathering, erosion, transport, sedimentation and diagenesis.

Meteorisation: Consists in the alteration of the rocks exposed to the Earth's surface. The
alteration can be physical or chemical.
- Rock is subject to physical weathering when it is broken down by climate or living
beings.

- Rock is subject to chemical weathering when minerals undergo changes by reaction

with water or air.

2. Erosion: When debris is removed from weathered rock, erosion occurs.

3. Transport - Transport occurs when the eroded materials are moved to another location.

4. Sedimentation - Consists in the accumulation of sediments. The materials are deposited

horizontally, forming sedimentary layers or strata.
5. Diagenesis - Set of processes that transform loose sediments into compact rocks. It involves
compaction and cementation.

Sedimentary rocks are classified according to the origin of their sediments. Thus, three groups
are considered: detrital rocks, chemogenic rocks and biogenic rocks

Detritic rock - Rock consisting of fragments (detritus or clasts) of other pre-existing rocks that
have broken up.
The compaction and cementation of loose sediments (diagenesis), such as ballast, sands and
clays, give rise to consolidated rocks, such as conglomerate, sandstone or claystone.
- The ballasts by diagenesis give rise to the conglomerate;
- The sands by diagenesis give rise to sandstone;
- The clays give rise to argillite.

Chemogenic rock - Rock formed by chemical processes, through the precipitation of

substances dissolved in water.
- Stalactites, for example, are formed by chemogenic limestone that precipitates from
the roof of caves.
- In the formation of limestone, there is sedimentation of calcite from an aqueous
calcium carbonate solution.

Biogenic rock - Rock that results from the accumulation and consolidation of organic detritus,
such as the remains of living beings or products of their activity.
- The shelliferous limestone is formed by the accumulation and transformation of
shells of marine animals.
- Coal is formed by the accumulation and transformation, under certain conditions, of
plant remains.