Abstract
Geological heritage or geoheritage refers to the total of geosites, i.e., areas of high geological interest in a given area. Geosites have a high potential of attracting geotourists, thus contributing to the development of the local economy. Assessing sites of geological interest can contribute to their promotion, as well as their preservation and protection. Greece’s geotectonic position in the convergent zone between the African and Eurasian plates has contributed to the existence of a considerable wealth of geosites, with the particularly active geotectonic region of the Ionian Sea characterized as a geoheritage hotspot. The purpose of this study is the selection of several such sites from the islands of Lefkas, Meganisi, Kefalonia and Ithaki and their assessment regarding their scientific, environmental, cultural, economic and aesthetic value. The most representative sites for the individual disciplines of geology (e.g., geomorphology, tectonics, stratigraphy and palaeontology) have been chosen, mapped and assessed, while indicative georoutes are proposed, which could aid the island’s geotouristic promotion to geologist and non-geologist future visitors.
Highlights
Geological heritage or geoheritage refers to the total of geological sites in a given area, often abbreviated as “geosites”
All geosites have been provided with distinct code names, namely L01–L17 for Lefkas, M01–M02 for Meganisi, K01–K18 for Kefalonia and I01–I06 for Ithaki and have been GeoReferenced (Figure 4)
We selected a total of 43 geosites
Summary
Geological heritage or geoheritage refers to the total of geological sites in a given area, often abbreviated as “geosites”. Geosites are areas of high geological interest; i.e., tectonical, palaeontological, mineralogical, stratigraphical, geomorphological, palaeogeographical, etc. Gray [2] has itemized the individual components of geological heritage, namely mineralogy, petrology, paleontology, geomorphology, sedimentology, tectonics, pedology and, the Earth’s history. Sites of geomorphological heritage are referred as geomorphosites [3,4]. Kozlowski [5] adds another individual component, the superficial water (i.e., rivers, lakes etc.), whereas González-Trueba [6]. The value of geoheritage has been widely recognized (e.g., [7]), with many researchers (e.g., [2,8,9,10]) trying to promote areas of high geological interest
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