The Unique Granite Gorge in Mountainous Adygeya, Russia: Evidence of Big and Complex Geosite Disproportions

Anna V Mikhailenko,Maksim B Rebezov,Dmitry A Ruban,Natalia N Yashalova

doi:10.3390/geosciences9090372

Abstract

Geological heritage sites (geosites) are subject to conservation and exploitation for science, education, and tourism. Some geosites are big and comprise diverse phenomena. Concentration of the latter in some parts of these geosites makes them disproportionate. A typical example is the Granite Gorge in SW Russia that is of recognizable tourism importance. It stretches for ~5 km and represents a deep valley of the Belaya River and Late Paleozoic granitoids of the Dakh Crystalline Massif. However, the full spectrum of unique features is much wider. Their inventory permits the establishment of geomorphological, igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, mineralogical, paleogeographical, tectonic, economic, engineering, and hydrological and hydrogeological types of geological heritage. Spatial distribution of these types and the relevant features indicates their significant concentration near the northern entrance to the gorge and a less important concentration near the southern entrance. This is evidence of geosite disproportion. Apparently, the latter implies the need to focus geoconservation and geotourism activities on the noted loci of concentration. However, this would ’disrupt’ the geosite integrity, and, thus, management of the Granite Gorge geosite requires attention to all its parts, including those with lower heritage value.

Highlights

Geoconservation has demonstrated significant achievements during three past decades, and it has become an important direction of geological resources management [1,2,3]
The Granite Gorge is a big, but single landform created by the same process, geosite can be established to embrace the only 1-km strip of geological heritage concentration near and the entire chain of exposures of the Late Paleozoic granites represents the Dakh Crystalline Massif
The entire Granite Gorge should be same process, and the entire chain of exposures of the Late Paleozoic granites represents the Dakh designated as a geosite

Summary

Introduction

Geoconservation has demonstrated significant achievements during three past decades, and it has become an important direction of geological resources management [1,2,3]. Its primary goal, namely geosites inventory, is yet to be achieved because of too many potentially unique localities to be examined for this purpose. In many European countries, the inventory of geological heritage has been more or less completed on the national scale [4], but this work is only at the very beginning stage in the rest of the world. 22 of of 10 inventory in countries, provinces, and particular geological domains. Significant efforts are interested from undertaking comprehensive necessarygeologists to fill numerous gaps in the really current knowledge ofgeosite world inventory geosites. In countries, provinces, and particular geological domains. Significant efforts are necessary to fill numerous gaps in theUsually, current Significant efforts are interested from undertaking comprehensive necessarygeologists to fill numerous gaps in the really current knowledge ofgeosite world inventory geosites. in countries, provinces, and particular geological domains.

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