House of Fossils // Dalberto Pombo Environmental Interpretation Centre

The House of Fossils // Dalberto Pombo Environmental Interpretation Centre resulted from the reconstruction of an old historic building in Vila do Porto.

This Centre houses the collections of the naturalist Dalberto Pombo, a true pioneer in the study of the geological and biological diversity of Santa Maria and aims to promote the natural heritage dynamically and interactively, with an educational and scientific approach.

To know more about the marine fossils, unique in the Azores and of international importance, a new space was created in the Centre, the House of Fossils, where the visitor can observe several examples of the naturalist’s collection and the University of the Azores’ reference collection.

At the Centre, visitors have the opportunity to establish direct contact with real stuffed animals, such as butterflies and beetles of the Azores and the world, migratory birds with stops on the island, and learn about the journey of the Caretta caretta (tartaruga-boba).

In the House of Fossils, there is a 3D video about the geologic formation of the island with a focus on the paleontological richness importance in the international context. It also gives the opportunity to learn about some of the world prestigious investigators on the areas of geology, paleontology, biogeography and stratigraphy. This space also has an educational game where the visitors have the experience to be paleontologists.