Geoheritage Resources Research Articles

World-scale allocation of new mineral-related geological heritage resources

The socio-economical importance of geological heritage (geoheritage) makes it a geological resource. New minerals are reported regularly, and their type specimens and localities are ex-situ and in-situ constituents of geoheritage, respectively. The present study focuses on the contemporary dynamics of these specific resources. For this purpose, the information about new minerals reported during the past five years is analyzed. The attention is paid to the distribution of the new mineral specimens (holotypes and cotypes) and their type localities by country; the transboundary replacement of new minerals is also considered. It is established that the new minerals-related geoheritage resources are accumulated in dozens of countries. The ex-situ geoheritage (specimens in museum collections) is represented twice narrower than the in-situ geoheritage (localities as geosites). About a half of new minerals are replaced to the other countries and often to the other parts of the world. The registered patterns are explained by the peculiarities of the contemporary mineralogical research. The outcomes of the present analysis permit to make recommendations for the development of the optimal geoheritage policy.

Scientific Utility of Selected Latin American Global Geoparks: A Literature-Based Case Study

Global geoparks, i.e., the members of the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) network, possess highly valuable geoheritage resources, which can be used for the purposes of not only education and tourism, but also science. Five examples from four Latin American countries (Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru) were employed to realize the importance of these global geoparks as facilitators of international research. Journal articles devoted to these geoparks were selected with the major bibliographical databases, and the information from them was analyzed quantitatively. Particularly, the numbers of articles published before and after the UGGp membership, paying significant and marginal attention to geoparks, and published by international teams were calculated; the general themes of the articles were outlined. It was established that the total number of publications grew after the UGGp membership of these geoparks, but not steadily. The established dynamics of publishing are unstable and differ between the geoparks. Geoparks of Mexico (Mixteca Alta) and Peru (Colca y Volcanes de Andagua) are notable examples because they started to facilitate international research before the UGGp membership. Many articles consider geoparks only marginally (nonetheless, there are also articles paying significant attention to geoparks, especially in the cases of two Mexican geoparks). The author teams are often not restricted to Latin America. The research themes are rather diverse (geoheritage, geology, ecology, innovations, society, technology), although the majority of the publications are geoheritage-focused. Of special interest is the Colca y Volcanes de Andagua global geopark, which has been considered in the innovation-focused article. Generally, our results indicate a moderate importance of the considered global geoparks to international research activity and the incomplete exploitation of their scientific potential. Two Mexican geoparks (Comarca Minera and Mixteca Alta) seem to be the most successful in the facilitation of international research. Indeed, the scientific utility of global geoparks should be strengthened.

Late Mesozoic–Cenozoic geoheritage resources of the Kharga Oasis (Egypt): Novel assessment, exploitation perspectives, and policy implications

Geoheritage resources are valuable to countries and regions, which make urgent their exploration. Particularly, Egyptian geoheritage has been examined only partly, and it has not been reported from many areas. New field investigations in the Kharga Oasis in the southern Western Desert of Egypt permit to report a new portion of geoheritage resources. The collected materials are used to propose six geosites, describe them (particularly, standardized geoheritage types are established), and assess semi-quantitatively. The approach is the same as already used for some other areas of Egypt, and the semi-quantitative assessment is based on scoring of various geosite properties with the different weight. It is established that these geosites exhibit lithologies and depositional environments of Upper Cretaceous–Eocene terrestrial and marine sedimentary rocks, Quaternary terrestrial carbonates (tufa deposits), and residual desert landforms. The geosites are attributed to the sedimentary, palaeogeographical, stratigraphical, palaeontological, and geomorphological geoheritage types. Scoring them by several criteria implies that two geosites (Naqb El-Rufuf and Naqb Bulaq) are national and four geosites (Naqb Assiut, Wadi El-Midawara, Gebel Taref, and Kharga Stadium) are regional in rank. The accessibility of some geosites is limited, and the Kharga Stadium geosite demonstrates significant vulnerability due to its location in the urban area. Generally, the analyses imply the presence of a valuable geoheritage resource in the Kharga Oasis. The outcomes of the present study also indicate the perspectives of scientific, educational, and touristic exploitation of the established geoheritage resources and the need in the development of the optimal policy for their effective management. Geopark creation seems to be a plausible instrument for the implementation of this policy, and its proposal requires further investigations of geological and cultural heritage of the Kharga Oasis.

Selected Geoheritage Resources of “Atlantic Geopark” Project (Central Portugal)

The “Atlantic Geopark” Project corresponds to the first stage of a broad project addressing a future application to the Global Geopark Network of a territory located in Portugal: “The Atlantic Geopark: 600 million of geological history”. It covers six central littoral and rural municipalities (Cantanhede, Figueira da Foz, Mealhada, Mira, Montemor-o-Velho, and Penacova), which display special and singular geodiversity, and it includes geological heritage with international relevance representing the opening and closing of the Rheic Ocean, the formation and breakup of Pangea, and the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean. Besides the geological heritage, here presented through the description and characterization of six geological sites (one per municipality) which served as anchors for the development of the project currently underway, the territory also provides other geoheritage resources related to uses of the local geological features. These resources hold significance in bolstering an application to the Global Geopark Network soon. They encompass partially artificial elements such as road excavations, agricultural soils, and quarries, as well as entirely artificial elements such as interpretation centers and museums. These elements serve as tangible representations of the various ways in which the Earth and local communities interact.

Non-Uniform Distribution of Geoheritage Resources in Geoparks—Problems, Challenges and Opportunities

Geoparks are territorial organizations, whose primary aim is to foster sustainable local development through the promotion of geoheritage, geotourism and geoeducation. Sites of significant interest from the perspective of geosciences (geosites), as well as the overall geodiversity of the territory, are the fundamental resources for geopark activities. The distribution of these resources in the geographical space of geoparks may, however, be uneven. We first review four cases of UNESCO Global Geoparks from different European countries (Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Portugal) where such a situation occurs, with consequences on tourism development. Then, we place particular focus on an aspiring geopark of the Land of Extinct Volcanoes in SW Poland, providing evidence of its geoheritage and geodiversity values. The aspiring geopark integrates a mountainous–upland terrain and a lowland part, the latter with much fewer sites of interest and, apparently, fewer opportunities to successfully develop geotourism. Recognizing the challenges emerging from the non-uniform distribution of resources and learning from established geoparks, we highlight various opportunities to encourage (geo)tourism in the less diverse sections of the geoparks. Implementation of the ABC (abiotic–biotic–cultural) concept could be particularly helpful, as could be various events organized in these areas.

The Potwar Siwaliks: an impressive Neogene record of terrestrial rocks and fossils

Abstract Outcropping sedimentary deposits of the Potwar Plateau in northern Pakistan comprise the most complete record of Neogene Siwalik rocks and faunas to be found in the Indian subcontinent documenting an extraordinary record of terrestrial vertebrate fossils for the Miocene Epoch. The Potwar Plateau is a portion of the Siwalik Hills, the mountainous terrane of the outer Himalayas extending over 2000 km across the northern margin of the Indian subcontinent. Siwalik strata accumulated as a molassic sedimentary wedge shed southward with the erosion of the rising crust as it was uplifted via plate tectonics. The long Potwar record of numerous superposed assemblages of fossil vertebrates preserves a history spanning many millions of years, and constitutes a unique geoheritage resource for Asia and for the world. The record can be dated and interpreted with a high degree of precision rarely achieved in terrestrial settings. The Potwar Siwalik sediments document 18 million years of change in the subtropical ecosystem of South Asia, in which global to regional climate change directly impacted terrestrial palaeofloras and palaeofaunas, forcing coevolution of elements of the terrestrial food web, and with that the modernization of mammalian groups. The potential to trace coincidence of abiotic changes with evolution within lineages is unusual.

Ordovician Tsunamis: Summary of Hypotheses and Implications for Geoheritage Resources

Ordovician tsunamis have been hypothesized for more than 25 years, but the related knowledge is yet to be systematized. The published sources bearing the pieces of this knowledge were collected in the course of the specialized bibliographical survey, and these pieces of evidence were summarized and interpreted with special attention to the spatiotemporal distribution of Ordovician tsunamis. It is found that the latter were reported from many places of the world (24 localities are established), which represent the Gondwana periphery, some isolated continental blocks, and terranes. Tsunamis were hypothesized for all epochs of the considered period, but the evidence is especially numerous for the Middle Ordovician. The degree of certainty of the interpretations of these tsunamis is chiefly moderate. It appears that only a tiny portion of Ordovician tsunamis is known, but the amount of available information is expected, taking into account the possibility of finding very ancient tsunamis. The outcomes of this study contribute to a better awareness of the world’s geoheritage resources. The established localities representing Ordovician tsunamis can be considered potential geosites, two of which are promising start points for further, field-based research.

The types, grades and distribution features of geoheritage in China: An inventory

Geoheritage represents typical geological phenomena formed through internal and external geological processes during the Earth's long evolution. It serves as a carrier of crucial information regarding the Earth's evolution, the origin of life, and changes in the geographic environment. Additionally, it is a valuable geological resource for human utilization. In order to provide essential information for the scientific protection and utilization of geoheritage resources, this paper summarizes and further categorizes the types, grades, and distribution characteristics of geoheritage in China based on extensive firsthand data obtained from recent investigations. The results can be summaried in four aspects: (1) As of the end of 2018, a total of 7,267 important geoheritage sites (including global, national, and provincial levels) have been discovered and surveyed in China. Among them, there are 3,154 geoheritage sites of basic geology, 3,935 geoheritage sites of geomorphic landscape, and 178 geoheritage sites of geological disaster. They can be further categorized into 13 classes and 46 sub-classes, such as stratigraphic sections, rock profiles, rock and soil landforms, and earthquake relics. (2) Through expert evaluations and comparative studies, there are 218 Grade I (global level) geoheritage sites, 1,919 Grade II (national level) geoheritage sites, 4,732 Grade III (provincial level) geoheritage sites, and 398 Grade IV (below provincial level) geoheritage sites in China. (3) Geoheritage in China are mainly distributed in five regions: Southwest China, East China, Central China, Northwest, and North China. The geoheritage sites of basic geology are mainly distributed in the Southwest China, Central China, East China, Northwest China, and North China, with the Southwest China having the highest number, accounting for approximately 27%. The geoheritage sites of geomorphic landscape are mainly distributed in the Southwest China, Northwest China, East China, Central China, and North China, with the Southwest China having the highest number, accounting for approximately 29%. The geoheritage sites of geological disaster are mainly distributed in the Southwest China, Northwest China, and Central China, with the Southwest China having the highest number, accounting for approximately 47%.

Geoheritage Resources in Polish Landscape Parks as a Basis for Developing a Network of Geoparks

Despite intensive scientific research on geodiversity and geotourism, the development of a network of geoparks in Poland has been slow. There are only two geoparks here. The reasons include difficulties of an organisational nature. The existing network of spatial forms of nature conservation should be used to streamline the process of establishing geoparks. The areas of the potential geoparks partially overlap with the areas of the landscape parks. The study presents a comprehensive quantitative assessment of abiotic nature sites (abiotic nature reserves, abiotic natural phenomena, documentation sites, geosites) occurring in landscape parks (125 in Poland). Parks with the greatest number of such sites and the highest geoheritage value are indicated (10% of the total number). Within these areas, new geoparks could be established and tourism based on geoheritage resources could be developed. In some cases, landscape parks located within the planned geoparks feature a small number of geoheritage sites, which may indicate the occurrence of deficiencies in the system of spatial forms of abiotic nature conservation in Poland.

Geoheritage resources and new direction of infrastructural growth in Egypt: From geosite assessment to policy development

Geoheritage can be exploited as a valuable geological resource in many countries and regions. Field investigations in a northeastern area of Egypt, to be named provisionally as the Qattamiya–Galala Corridor, permit to establish its geoheritage resources. Methodologically, this study includes identification and general description of geoheritage sites (geosites) on the basis of field experience, their semi-quantitative assessment by multiple criteria with scoring system, and qualitative documentation of their actual exploitation. This work uses the assessment approach already tested in Egypt and beyond. It focuses on geosites’ uniqueness (rarity) and several other properties such as number of geoheritage types, accessibility, vulnerability, need for interpretation, and scientific, educational, touristic, and aesthetic importance, each of which is scored. A total of 15 geosites are established and ranked from local to global. They belong to nine geoheritage types (palaeogeographical, sedimentary, stratigraphical, tectonic, economical, palaeontological, geomorphological, geohistorical, and igneous). Their perfect accessibility, absence of dangers, and aesthetic attractiveness should be noted. Many of these geosites need professional interpretation, i.e., they are not informative to unprepared visitors. These geoheritage resources are already exploited actively for the purposes of geosciences education and research. However, almost all geosites are not used in tourism. Importantly, many geosites are linked to mining activities or located close to beach recreation destinations. Their effective management requires conservation (cataloguing and physical maintenance) and geotourism development (installation of interpretive panels and marketing). A suitable option to achieve these tasks is geopark creation. The presence of important geoheritage resources in the study area and in the other parts of Egypt raises questions about development of the national policy for geoheritage resources exploitation. Particularly, this policy should address such issues as establishing legal frameworks and norms of geoheritage exploitation, creating and expanding national geopark network, and paying attention to waste management. Conjugation of major, country-level initiatives like the Galala project with geopark creation seems to be promising aspect of the geoheritage resources policy.

The role of geodiversity and geoheritage in tourism and local development

Abstract Geodiversity and geoheritage play an increasingly important role in the tourism industry, although visitors’ interest in natural phenomena is much older than these two, relatively modern concepts. This chapter reviews several key issues emerging at the interface of geoheritage and the needs and expectations of the tourism industry, both tourists and service providers. Specific themes discussed include evaluation of geodiversity and geoheritage resources for tourism purposes, problems of interpreting Earth heritage for the general public, accessibility issues related to conservation, and the role of geoparks and allied initiatives in fostering local development. More general overviews are supplemented by case studies, illustrating each theme. These are taken from various localities globally, from Europe, South America and Oceania. It is concluded that the coverage of thematic studies at the interface between geoheritage resources and tourism science is uneven. Inventories and assessments of geoheritage and geodiversity sites for geotourism are widely reported and new resources for geotourism development are commonly explored, whereas much less is known about the actual perception of geoheritage values among visitors and the quality and effectiveness of their interpretation. Likewise, the positive impact of geotourism on local economies seems to be more hypothesized or anticipated than actually demonstrated.

Large-Scale Accessibility as a New Perspective for Geoheritage Assessment

The exploitation of geoheritage resources depends on their accessibility. The latter is usually established for geosites, whereas reaching the areas where geosites concentrate also deserves attention. Here, a novel, multi-criteria, score-based approach for assessing the large-scale accessibility of geoheritage-rich areas is proposed. The study takes into account various information about external and internal public transportation, road infrastructure, local services (including accommodation opportunities), and general settings. This approach is applied to the Russian South, where there are three geoheritage-rich areas, namely Lower Don, Abrau, and Mountainous Adygeya. Using new criteria, these areas differ by their large-scale accessibility, which is excellent in Lower Don and moderate in Abrau and Mountainous Adygeya. It is established that the co-occurrence of geoheritage-rich areas and popular tourist destinations does not guarantee excellent accessibility. The findings of the present study seem to be important for the development of optimal geoheritage resources policy, as well as for planning research and educational activities, such as the currently realized geochemical investigations and the regular field educational campaigns in the Russian South.

Editorial of Special Issue—“Geoheritage and Geotourism Resources: Education, Recreation, Sustainability”

In recent years, the interest of society in the geoenvironment is constantly increasing [...]

Valuable geoheritage resources: Potential versus exploitation

Geoheritage is an important geological resource, which can provide with various socio-economical benefits. Although much attention has been paid to its potential use, the actual patterns of this resource exploitation are yet to be fully understood. Mountainous Adygeya, a geologically-rich area of the Western Caucasus, is used for testing semi-quantitative, scoring-based approaches for documenting these patterns. It is established that the exploitation of the rich geoheritage resources of the study area remains limited, although the localities with the higher value tend to experience stronger exploitation. It appears that the geoheritage resources can be strongly heterogeneous in regard to their value and exploitation intensity. Presently, the anthropogenic pressure from this exploitation is chiefly low or moderate, but it may accelerate in the future. Development of special policy is necessary to make the geoheritage resource exploitation sustainable, and objectives, instruments, and functions of this policy are proposed.

Geology of Hin Chang Si Sandstone Geoheritage in Khon Kaen Province for Geotourism Planning of Northeastern Thailand

One of the most distinguished sandstone geoheritage resources in the Khorat Plateau is Hin Chang Si located in the Nam Phong National Park, Khon Kaen Province. The clastic sedimentary rocks of the Phra Wihan Formation of the Khorat Group covered this area. As a result of the lithologic study, the Hin Chang Si consists of pebbly sandstone, moderately sorted medium- to coarse-grained sandstone, and a small amount of siltstone interbedded with laminated shale. The characteristics (colors, cementation, and degrees of weathering) divided sandstones into two groups, including white grain-supported sandstone with silica cement and matrix-supported sandstone with Fe-rich cement. In addition, these sandstones present primary sedimentary structures, which comprise tabular cross-bedding and normal grading as well as bioturbation. Hin Chang Si demonstrates many geomorphological features, including cliffs, potholes, rock pillars, polygonal cracks, caves, tafoni, runnels, and natural arches according to inventory. The weathering and degradation processes in humid tropical conditions are the main processes that caused these geomorphological features. Whereas many primary factors affected various types of morphology that are composed of joints, folds, and faults. The national park provides the natural trail map, tourism information, and biodiversity data to visitors; however, geological information about sandstone landforms should be actualized for geotourism development.

Identification And Characterization Of Geoheritage Resources At Hulu Langat, Selangor

Identification and characterization of geodiversity for sites need more systematic approach for the purpose of conserving site with high geoheritage value. The present of igneous and metamorphic rock at Hulu Langat creates diversity in rock, features and geomorphological features includes hot spring, waterfall, hill and mountain that hold potential as a protected geosite of heritage value. Besides, the previous tin mining activities created by the contact metamorphism, left series of lakes and ponds while the nearby mountain is susceptible area as watershed that turn into dams around the area. Analysis on topographical maps, satellite image and aerial photograph interpretation aided in identification potential geosite based on geomorphological diversity. A total of 31 potential geosites with geological-scientific value have been identified in this study compare to 10 from the previous study. The potential geosite have been classified into rock diversity, natural landscape diversity and anthropogenic landscape diversity. Characterisation recognise 6 of these potential geosite are best example or tip location to illustrate the geological element, 4 of these geosites are the only occurrence of the geological element, 27 of the potential geosites are well preserved and 4 hold the scientific knowledge written in the international journal. The identification and characterisation of geoheritage resources are crucial steps before evaluation or assessment, ranking and conservation or development being propose, while strengthen the conservation geology approach.

Geoheritage Resource of a Small Town: Evidence from Southwestern Russia

Geoheritage Resource of a Small Town: Evidence from Southwestern Russia

Caves as geoheritage resource in remote desert areas: a preliminary evaluation of Djara Cave in the Western Desert of Egypt

AbstractCaves are rare in northeast Africa and, thus, deserve attention as potential geoheritage objects (geosites). Assessment of Djara Cave and its vicinity (Western Desert, Egypt) has permitted to document unique features, such as the cave itself as a peculiar subsurface landform, speleothems providing data for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, rock art demonstrating elements of past landscapes, siliceous nodules weathered from Eocene limestones and a network of dry drainage channels indicative of wetter palaeoenvironments. These features are assigned to geomorphological, sedimentological and palaeogeographical types of geoheritage. Djara Cave and its vicinity are proposed as a geosite of national rank; it is vulnerable to anthropogenic stress and needs geoconservation measures and instalment of interpretative signs. This geosite is already popular among tourists, and can be used for further tourism development. More generally, the presence of caves in Egyptian desert areas makes possible the recognition of national speleological heritage that requires special country-level strategies of management.

Geoheritage assessment of Gua Sireh, Baling, Kedah

Gua Sireh is located in Baling, Kedah, Malaysia. Baling is a district that hold a variety of unique and beautiful geological features with geoheritage values and attractive geological landforms. The Gua Sireh is currently conserved by the Kampung Padang Che Mas’s committee members as a part of their tourism site. The aim of this paper is to formally evaluate the potential geoheritage values of Gua Sireh as a geoheritage resources using the classification, assessment and evaluation methods. Based on this study, five geoheritage values had been identified in Gua Sireh, which are scientific/educational, aesthetic, recreational, historical/cultural and economic values. The scale of this geosite is small to medium, and the level of significance is local to state. By this initiative, it is hope that Gua Sireh can be preserved from any threats and continues to develop in order to sustain and protect the geological features while supporting the geotourism development in the state of Kedah.

Quaternary lacustrine dolostones of Sahara: New geoheritage evidence from the Farafra Oasis (Egypt)

Oases of the Western Desert of Egypt host numerous geoheritage features. Field investigations in the Farafra Oasis have permitted to establish the presence of brown dolostones occurring in channels incised in the Upper Cretaceous rocks, on slopes of topographic highs, as fills of the karst features, and directly on wide depressions floor. Their origin is linked to carbonate deposition in a palaeolake that existed in the pluvial conditions of the Pleistocene. Such dolostones are rare on regional, national, and even global scales, and, thus, they constitute a high‐value geoheritage feature. The latter can be assigned to sedimentary, palaeogeographical, and stratigraphical geoheritage types. The most typical locality of these lacustrine dolostones is North Ain El‐Wadi that is proposed as a geosite. This new evidence extends the previous knowledge of the geoheritage of the Farafra Oasis. Although the main utility of the proposed geosite is scientific, this object can also be used for the purposes of geoeducation and geotourism in combination with the other geoheritage resources of the central part of the Western Desert of Egypt.