Ichnofossils

Can tourism preserve and promote geoconservation? Will Geotourism be a factor of protection or destruction?
The Algarve Basin coastal area comprehends geological formations spanning from Upper Triassic to Quaternary (Lopes et al., 2000). The coastal area between Salema and Figueira beachs is used by tourists / geotourists, mostly foreigners, that alone or in small groups, usually without a guide, walk across the existing trails.
In this coastal area, the sedimentary rocks of Cretaceous age are rich in
ichnofossils, already identified and studied, include tetrapod footprints, such as dinosaurs as well as invertebrate marcks, and arthropod burrow systems (Neto de Carvalho et al., 2010). The latter are less known by tourists, and often cause a lot of curiosity. In order to get more information about these trace fossils, the most curious and interested tourists often go to the Vila do Bispo municipal tourism office. The burrows are three-dimensional intersected galleries horizontally, obliquely and vertically. The exterior of the galleries is characterized by a bulbous texture, due to the reinforced structure by small sediment balls made by arthropods (figure 1).
The disclosure of the rich geological information these places contain must involve local people, providing them with the correct and accurate scientific information of this place. This may rise their awareness for the protection of these and other structures either paleontological or geological.
This disclosure may not increase the tourist pressure on these places, since it already exists, but may help geoheritage and its geoconservation by disclosing / providing information about the geo-history (Hose, 2000) of this place.

An assortment of trace fossils were examined within an exposure of the Glen Rose Formation in Coryell County, Texas, along Cow House Creek. These ichnofossils vary in abundance and variety, providing insight into a complex and thriving ecosystem. Teredolites isp. burrows were found in situ , penetrating into a carbonized tree log. The carbonized log was deposited within a limestone , with layers of sand and chalk interspersed, formed in shallow waters near shore. This interpretation is supported by other associated ichnofossils and invertebrate fossils emplaced within the same beds, including a variety of bivalves, ammonites, and small rudist patch reef structures. An associated plant fragment was similarly carbonized but is much smaller and lacking in evident traces. Additional trace fossils include Thalassinoides isp. in layers upwards of 20cm thick throughout the exposure, several paired sets of Brontopodus isp. in the uppermost layer, as well as two sand lined, flattened, horizontally oriented Psilonichnus isp. (?) burrows that have been preserved intact, lacking infill.