Abstract
This study aims to identify potential geosites and show existing geosites in a young glacial landscape in northern Poland through a qualitative assessment of the local geoheritage. Three areas of diversified morphology and geology located within the extent of the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet have been selected as the research polygons: the north-eastern part of the Dobrzyń Lake District, the Lower Vistula Valley and the Kashubian Lake District. Three basic abiotic components of the environment have been analysed: geology, terrain relief and hydrology. This research is based on some specific materials including maps and photographs. Methodology of this research includes the inventory, characterization and assessment of selected areas. The final results are proposals for geosites of high educational value in each of the three investigated regions. For the north-eastern part of the Dobrzyń Lake District, the creation of a geopark has been proposed, and the geosites of the Lower Vistula Valley provide the potential for a geotourist footpath to be designed. The Kashubian Lake District is characterised by the occurrence of numerous glacial landforms and sediments as well as high denivelations and a concentration of erratic boulders. Therefore, this region also has the potential to be selected for valuable geosites and the designing of a geotourist footpath.
Highlights
Geoheritage focuses on the diversity of minerals, rocks, fossils and includes landforms and other geomorphological features that illustrate the effects of present and past Earth’s climate and physical processes (McBriar 1995)
Except of the two geosites which can be found in the database of geosites, we propose seventy seven potential new geosites arranged in seventeen geomorphological categories, the majority of which are glacial landforms and the rest are fluvial landforms (Table 2)
These remnants form hillock-like structures, which are proposed as a potential geosite no. 2 (Table 2)
Summary
Geoheritage focuses on the diversity of minerals, rocks, fossils and includes landforms and other geomorphological features that illustrate the effects of present and past Earth’s climate and physical processes (McBriar 1995). The term geoheritage (geological heritage) was used at the 1st International Symposium on the Conservation of our Geological Heritage at Digne, France, in 1991. This article is part of the Topical Collection on Geoheritage and Conservation: Modern Approaches and Applications Towards the 2030 Agenda, IX ProGEO Symposium, Poland, 25-28th June, 2018. The term geomorphosite has recently been introduced as an acronym for geomorphological site (Panizza 2001). It is understood to be a landform that has acquired a special value due to human perception or exploitation (Pereira et al 2008). They can be single geomorphological objects or wider landscapes. We have decided to use the term ‘geosites’
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