“extraordinary well-preserved complete volcanic edifice”. The bread-crust bomb was highlighted as further evidence. The work of Klein and Vieira led to a doctoral degree and a pamphlet-style geological field excursion guide. However, their work was not published in scientific journals, and therefore the Nova Iguaçu Volcano hypothesis did not receive the attention and scrutiny necessary to transform it into an academically accepted scientific theory. Later development In the early-to-mid-2000s (decade), a research group composed of geologists from several Brazilian institutions conducted additional geological studies into the existence of a volcano at Nova Iguaçu. Some members of the group agreed with Vieira that a volcanic crater existed at Nova Iguaçu (Loc. 1). However, other members disagreed because the supposed crater is underlain by massive trachyte, not volcanic breccia. Public awareness In 2004, the Rio de Janeiro State Department of Mineral Resources (DRM-RJ) started a public information campaign about the geology of Nova Iguaçu with special attention given to the Municipal Park and the theories concerning the extinct volcano. As a part of the project, panel-plates with information about the hypothesis of the Nova Iguaçu Volcano were placed in strategic locations around the area and included on the DRM-RJ homepage. Brazilian media began publicizing the hypothesis of a volcano at Nova Iguaçu based on interviews with a geologist who stated it was the only area in Brazil with clear morphology of a volcanic crater and a volcanic cone. In 2004, the Nova Iguaçu Topshopping held the Volcano Exposition, and the Rio de Janeiro State Financial Tribunary declared the volcanic crater to be a natural sightseeing attraction point of Nova Iguaçu and Mesquita. The Nova Iguaçu Municipal Government and the Mesquita Municipal Government helped to distribute the information. These non-academic sources had a special interest in the volcanic crater, commenting that an extremely long eruption lasting from 72 million years ago until 40 million years ago was incompatible with the scientific study of Earth’s volcanoes. In early 2005, numerous media, governmental, and scientific sources reported that mining activity of the Vigné Quarry (Loc. 7) was destroying Brazil's only intact volcano. A judicial process was sent to the Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro, requiring the immediate interdiction of the quarry. The last report confirmed a volcanic edifice but denied the volcanic crater, recommending reopening mining on a reduced scale. The Nova Iguaçu Volcano theory expanded to become a social phenomenon.