The Iberian Pyrite Belt (FPI), one of the most important Metallogenic Provinces in the world, articulates the core of the Alentejo-Algarve-Andalucía (A3) Euroregion, with a geological continuity that has fostered over the course of its history the economic, social and cultural development based on the exploitation of its mineral resources. This has led to a demography and economy strongly-dependent on the mining sector, this being the unifying element of the region.
This common past focused on the mining activity and associated to a territory belonging to the same geologic domain, with 3 big common age sets between the Carboniferous and the Devonian ages (the Slaty-Quartzic Group, the Volcanic-Sedimentary Complex and the Flysch Group from Bajo Alentejo) has caused that nowadays, much of the important information generated in this environment, is scattered between various organisms, companies and institutions, extreme which limits largely the researches of geological, environmental, mining, historical and economic nature. This is the first major challenge to address, the integration of the base geological information, as well as that of stratigraphy and mining, properly grouped by means of GIS methodologies and valorized in the cross border context.
Mines of Tharsis, Huelva (Spain): Detail of the cutting of Filon Norte before its closure and flooding (2007)
The information unification opportunities are based on the fact that IGME; LNEG and the Junta de Andalucía are the main organisms involved both in conducting researches in the FPI and bringing together the existing large information about it.
The second major challenge to address is focused on the harmonization of the geological cartography. The Iberian Pyrite Belt is one of the four domains in which the South-Portuguese Zone is divided (Pulo de Lobo, Pyrite Belt, Baixo Alentejo Flysch and SW domain), constituting the southernmost territory of the European Variscan belt. The need of this cooperation is related with the fact that, for many years research has been conducted in both sides of the frontier independently. In the GEO_ FPI project the aim is to recover that delay unifying the nomenclatures of formations, dating, ages, resolution of geo-tectonic problems, etc. Namely, the aim is to focus in the transversality to the topic, increasing the data correlation and leading to knowledge increase.
Corta da mina de São Domingos, Alentejo (Portugal)
Finally, the enhancement of these data would be performed by creating and implementing a Digital Platform that would include a Public Consultation Network about the Iberian Pyrite Belt. The system will allow the displaying and joint consultation of the information in the IGME and LNEG’s core repositories within the area covered in the project.