Using the Geoheritage Tool-Kit to Identify Inter-related Geological Features at Various Scales for Designating Geoparks: Case Studies from Western Australia

Abstract

To further the disciplines of geoheritage and geoconservation, a Geoheritage Tool-kit has been developed in Western Australia to systematically compile an inventory of the full diversity at various scales of geological and geomorphological features in a given area, assess their levels of significance, and address whether geoheritage features are treated in isolation or as inter-related suites that should be conserved as an ensemble. The objective of the Geoheritage Tool-kit is to provide a systematic approach to develop a database or inventory of sites of geoheritage significance. Use of the Geoheritage Tool-kit begins with identifying geological regions, then listing their geological essentials to develop a database for sites of geoheritage significance. The next stage is to locate good examples, of these features, or of inter-related ensembles of features, regardless of scale, and assess them according to significance criteria. After an assessment of the range, categories, inter-relationships, and level(s) of significance of the geological features, the final step is to determine what type and what level of geoconservation the area requires. Three areas: King Sound and the tide-dominated delta of the Fitzroy River; Leschenault Peninsula, a retrograding Holocene dune barrier in south-western Australia, and its leeward estuarine lagoon; and the Walpole-Nornalup Inlet estuary, provide case studies of the application of this Tool-kit. Each of these coastal areas comprises a wide variety of geological and geomorphological features, from large to fine scale, and varying in significance from International to National to Regional. Some key features of global significance include: the tide-dominated delta at King Sound, the calcrete, beach rock, and calcitised sea rush roots at Leschenault Peninsula, and the intra-estuarine deltas in the Walpole-Nornalup Inlet estuary. In terms of geoconservation, addressing the various features of geoheritage value in this area is best achieved by viewing the systems as an integrated geopark of interactive processes, geology, and geomorphology.