Presented by the Instituto de Geociências - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, the study Cantarias e pedreiras históricas do Rio de Janeiro: instrumentos potenciais de divulgação das Ciências Geológicas, (Historic Stonework and Quarrying in Rio de Janeiro: Potential instruments for the propagation of Geological Sciences), by Soraya Almeida and Rubem Porto Junior examines  The use of rocks as the principal raw material for building construction as a peculiar characteristic of Rio de Janeiro city and its surroundings, from the city's foundation until the nineteenth century.

The historic quarries have influenced the urban layout and the formation of settlements, connecting all economic strata. Nowadays, the extracted material is exposed in the historic part of the City, known as Rio Antigo (Old Rio) where it is possible to observe various examples of rock use.

The paper summarizes the historical role played by the quarries in the city and proposes ways to use this heritage as a way of encouraging the dissemination of scientific knowledge, the study of geology and the recognition of a link between Man and rock.