Abstract
Geoheritage is not necessarily linked genetically to “purely” geological processes. Investigations in two urban areas of Russia allowed us to find essentially artificial objects demonstrating certain geological uniqueness. The huge balls sculptured from rapakivi granite and installed in Saint Petersburg represent cultural, historical, and stone heritage. These are also artificial megaclasts with perfect sphericity. The coal waste heaps situated in Shakhty and its vicinity represent industrial, historical, and urban heritage. These are also artificial landforms creating a kind of pseudo-mountainous landscape. These examples permit us to question the importance of the co-occurrence of heritage categories for geosite assessment.
Highlights
Geoheritage is an important resource [1,2,3]
Cárdenes et al [4] showed the connections between geological and industrial heritage and regional history; Ezquerro and Simón [5] related geoheritage to music; Gordon [6] put geoheritage into the context of cultural landscapes; Górska-Zabielska [7] demonstrated that a university’s rock garden can be considered as geosite; Kubalíková [8] realized the cultural ecosystem services of geodiversity; Moroni et al [9] linked geological and archaeological heritage; Pásková et al [10] analyzed culture–geology interplay in geoparks; and Prosser [11] explained that quarry-based geosites establish cultural connections
The first are granite balls, which are a part of the famous architectural ensemble in the historical part of the city of Saint Petersburg in the Russian
Summary
Several specialists have argued that it is tied to cultural, historical, archaeological, and other categories of heritage. Essentially artificial heritage features, which can be interpreted as geoheritage, are still poorly-known. This may include mines or tunnels created to modify the geological environment or natural stones used in buildings, and objects significantly less related to geology. Even the word “artificial” is used in this paper with certain caution
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
