Octávio Barbosa graduated from the Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP) in civil engineering and mining.
His second wife, Vera Rita de Castro Dias, a geographer educated at the University of São Paulo, collaborated on many of his geomorphological works.
Octávio Barbosa attended the first board meeting of the Brazilian Geological Society, serving as vice president alongside Luciano Jacques de Moraes.
He conducted numerous works in field geology and mineral prospecting, showing an appreciation for indigenous terms, which were also useful in physiographic descriptions and interpretations in Brazil.
Octávio Barbosa spent six years in the Geological Survey as a research assistant to Luciano Jacques de Moraes, with whom he co-authored some works.
In 1938, Octávio Barbosa engaged in a well known controversy within the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, criticizing the protognaisse theory proposed by Alberto Ribeiro Lamego.
From 1952 to 1958, he published works on paleobotany, establishing the age of Gondwana floras and making observations (in 1957) on the Paratoxopitys Americana, a fossil wood from the Irati Formation.
In 1968, the Brazilian Geological Society (SBG) bestowed upon him the highest honor for geologists in Brazil, the Gold Medal José Bonifácio.
[1] He emphasized on multiple occasions the importance for professionals to find happiness in pursuing their passions and fulfilling their aspirations through their work.
Octávio Barbosa advocated for being at ease with improvisations, mandatory fieldwork, and utilizing various modes of transportation such as jeeps, airplanes, small planes, helicopters, mules, trucks, boats, and any other conceivable means of locomotion.
It contains a specialized collection in Geosciences, comprising papers, books, national and international journals, technical reports, maps, aerial photographs, and various photocartographic documents for community access.
Additionally, CPRM holds some invaluable field notebooks penned by Octávio Barbosa during the 1930s and 1950s, capturing his insights, adventures, knowledge, and significant contributions to the Geology of Brazil.