Louzeiras de Canelas quarry, Canelas e Espiunca, Arouca, Aveiro, Portugali

Regional Level Types
Louzeiras de Canelas quarry	Quarry
Canelas e Espiunca	Civil Parish
Arouca	Municipality
Aveiro	District
Portugal	Country

Active slate quarry very rich in fossils: http://www.ardosiasvf.com.pt/en/fosseis.html

"Almost two centuries have gone by since slate was first extracted in Canelas. The tradition of extracting slate has continued in the region, with only brief interruptions, and numerous fossil invertebrates have been found, particularly Trilobites.

The fossil contents of this slate were first studied by Décio Thadeu in 1956. The foundation of the company “Ardósias Valério & Figueiredo, Lda” in 1990 led to exploitation of the slate on an industrial scale, with a view to the production of roofing, flooring, façade coverings, and other materials. Thanks to excavations in “Pedreira do Valério” quarry and the cooperation of its concession company, an extraordinary paleontological collection of international importance has been put together.

Most of the collection, including the specimens of greatest scientific interest, can be found in Canelas and have inspired the creation of the Canelas Geological Interpretation Centre. The aims of this Centre include to organise Paleontological research and to disseminate this heritage in schools and universities and to the general public."

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A jazida fossilífera da Pedreira do Valério é internacionalmente reconhecida como uma jazida Konservat-Lagerstätten, pela excepcionalidade da conservação dos fósseis encontrados nas ardósias. Nestes materiais da Formação Valongo, com cerca de 465 milhões de anos (Darriwiliano - Ordovícico Médio) tem sido encontrada uma fauna de invertebrados fósseis constituída por trilobites, bivalves, rostroconchas, gastrópodes, cefalópodes, braquiópodes, crinóides, cistóides, hiolítidos, conulárias, ostracodos, graptólitos e icnofósseis. Entre estes merecem particular destaque as trilobites, correspondendo muitas delas aos maiores exemplares do mundo, tanto em termos genéricos como em termos específicos para diversas espécies.
Este local assume uma importância significativa nos domínios da paleontologia, tafonomia, paleogeografia, paleoecologia, estratigrafia, sedimentologia e tectónica.
In: http://geossitios.progeo.pt/geositecontent.php?menuID=3&geositeID=967

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