Magoito Beach Consolidated Dune

Category: Nature > Reserva natural

District: Lisboa > Sintra > Magoito > Pedregal

Location

The Consolidated Dune is a prominent natural element found on Magoito Beach, a coastal locality situated in the municipality of Sintra. Located in the Pedregal area, this formation emerges imposingly along the coastline, lending a striking presence to the beach's landscape. Its position allows visitors a clear observation of the natural processes that sculpted it, framed by the vast maritime horizon.

A Window into Geological Time

This unique coastal dune represents a fascinating link to the geological past. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it is a fossil dune, a classification that distinguishes it as sand that, over millions of years, underwent a process of lithification, transforming into sandstone rock. The Consolidated Dune of Magoito Beach is thus a remarkable testament to the coast's geological evolution and the natural forces that have shaped it over vast eras.

Details Engraved in Sandstone

Close observation of this fossil dune reveals details that tell the story of its formation. It is possible to identify the so-called cross-bedding within it. These inclined layers in the sandstone are a visual record of the winds that once blew in this area, allowing explorers to imagine the direction and strength of the aeolian currents that, over countless millennia, deposited the sand and shaped this structure before its consolidation into rock.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt