GEOSITES AND GEOSYSTEMS IN QUATERNARY AND DYNAMIC LANDSCAPES – CASE STUDIES FROM A CRATONIC SETTING AND THEIR WIDER SIGNIFICANCE/ GEOSSÍTIOS E GEOSSISTEMAS EM PAISAGENS QUATERNÁRIAS E DINÂMICAS - ESTUDOS DE CASO DE UM CENÁRIO CRATÔNICO E SEU SIGNIFICADO MAIS AMPLO

Abstract

The rapidly expanding literature on the related subjects of geodiversity, geosites and their place in understanding andconserving our geoheritage has produced several proposed protocols for defining and valuing key sites and landscapes.Distinctions between geosites as well-defined features of our geological heritage and geodiversity sites as landscapes orgeomorphosites have been proposed, while many subdivisions of the criteria for geosite recognition are also recognised.This paper uses two areas in central Africa to illustrate the realities of many landscapes, termed geosystems in this study.Largely Quaternary and present-day dynamic geosystems are considered as essential components of geodiversity andequally aspects of our geoheritage. To understand these geosystems requires detailed fieldwork including theirrelationships to ecology, rural land use and sensitivity to environmental change.