Europe is the birthplace of scientific geology. Much has been achieved in site recording, conserv... more Europe is the birthplace of scientific geology. Much has been achieved in site recording, conservation and latterly, focused on the scientifically important interpretation and preservation. Some sites and collections are tourist attraction. Others await “geotourism" development before they are lost. Interpretative media and visitors typology models are presented. Exemplars are given from Nonh America and Europe. A “geotourism” development strategy is proposed.
Note the striped Carstone (Middle Albian), Red Chalk of the Hunstanton Formation (Cenomanian) and... more Note the striped Carstone (Middle Albian), Red Chalk of the Hunstanton Formation (Cenomanian) and West Melbury Marly Chalk Formation (Cenomanian) sea cliffs and the interpretative panel (designed for English Nature by the Centre for Environmental Interpretation in the early 1990s. Steps near this panel situated at the northern end of the concrete promenade that protects the small day-tourist resort of Hunstanton give access to the beach. The active nature of the cliff falls prompted the local authority to erect (just out of camera shot) a very large and visually intrusive warning sign!
<jats:p>Many of the stakeholders involved in modern geotourism provision lack awareness of ... more <jats:p>Many of the stakeholders involved in modern geotourism provision lack awareness of how the concept essentially ermeged, developed and was defined in Europe. Such stakeholders are unaware of how many of the modern approaches to landscape promotion and interpretation actually have nineteeth century antecedents. Similarly, many of the apparently modern threats to, and issues around, the protection of wild and fragile landscapes and geoconservation of specific geosites also first emerged in the ninetheeth century; the solutions that were developed to address those threats and issues were first applied in the early twentieth century and were subsequently much refined by the opening of the twenty-first century. However, the European engagement with wild and fragile landscapes as places to be appreciated and explored began much earlier than the nineteenth century and can be traced back to Renaissance times. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a summary consideration of this rather neglected aspect of geotourism, initially by considering its modern recognition and definitions and then by examining the English Lake District (with further examples from Britain and Australia available at the website) as a particular case study along with examples.</jats:p>
People have appreciated the beauty of natural landscapes, the result of the interplay of differen... more People have appreciated the beauty of natural landscapes, the result of the interplay of different natural processes, for at least three hundred years in Europe. Many have been inspired by this beauty to promote such places for visits by others. Some have understood the importance of individual places visited within the local or regional environmental system. This has led to definitions and the establishment of protected areas with special visitor rules and regulations. This article presents a case study of Sićevo Gorge Nature Park in Serbia and an opportunity to transform it into a geoheritage site, underpinned by developing its interpretation based on the results of a study using the analytical-hierarchy process (AHP) method.
The Fruška Gora Mt., as a dominant orographic complex in the Pannonian plain, was selected for a ... more The Fruška Gora Mt., as a dominant orographic complex in the Pannonian plain, was selected for a pioneer geodiversity quantification study area due to its unique geology and soil properties. The methodology is based on the geodiversity quantification assessment approach of Serrano and Ruiz-Flaño (Geogr Helv 62:140–147, 2007). It employed a 500 × 500 m grid approach on several maps (lithological, geomorphological, topographical, and pedological) at scales of 1:50.000 to 1:300.000, together with a 30-m resolution digital elevation model for deriving sub-indices and a topographic roughness. The geodiversity index values (Gd) indicate that the highest geodiversity sites are found on the north, north-east and south-western part of the investigated mountain: in steep-sided valleys, along the horst and loess cliffs facing the Danube River. The obtained results are compared with the already recognized in situ geosite location network. This approach can be applied in the given area for geoheritage protection, conservation, and promotion at different levels (from local to national level). Following the results of this study, the criteria for the definition of conservation areas with abiotic significance should be considered, as there is no legal protection of any kind for the areas with the highest geodiversity index values outside the National Park area. Also, it is a potentially effective tool for supporting decision-making processes regarding the management and conservation of natural areas or regions at different scales with further possible applications in Serbia and elsewhere in Europe.
The Peak District is an upland region in central Britain with a rich mining geoheritage. It was e... more The Peak District is an upland region in central Britain with a rich mining geoheritage. It was established as the UK’s first National Park in 1951. It was the region, due to its widespread loss quarries and mines sites to inappropriate remedial measures, which led to the recognition and promotion of the modern geotourism paradigm. It is the birthplace of British geotourism with the earliest recorded instances of leisure travellers purposefully choosing to visit mines and caves. Metalliferous mining in the region can be traced back to the Bronze Age. Gangue minerals, especially fluorspar and barites, later became significant primary extraction activities and underpinned a small-scale semi-precious stone industry. It is home to the World Heritage inscribed site of the Derwent Mills, significant in the development of early Industrial Revolution textile technology and manufacturing practices. The almost equally significant mining geoheritage has yet to be similarly recognised and, inde...
Abstract Most of the excursions organised by the Geologists’ Association in the late 19th C. and ... more Abstract Most of the excursions organised by the Geologists’ Association in the late 19th C. and early 20th C. were essentially pedestrian in nature. However, around the turn of the 20th C. and up to the Great War (1914–1918), the Association experimented with either specific cycling-based excursions or those that accommodated the needs of cyclist excursionists. At the time, the Association, with its London base, was ideally placed to employ the railway network as the basis for its excursions. Railways were then the principal mode of transport for middle- and long- distance journeys and were increasingly promoting suburban expansion, creating potential new field excursion areas. The railways catered for those pedestrian excursionists and cyclists who wished to venture further afield from London than was previously possible on a day- or half- day trip. The notices and reports of excursions published by the Association are examined and critiqued. The cycling excursions are examined and contextualised within a combined technological and socio-historical framework; parallels are drawn with today. A re-examination of the excursions also provides a benchmark, useful for geoconservation purposes, of the availability and accessibility of historical geosites. It can underpin new self-guided geotrails suitable for use by a wider audience than traditional geological excursionists. These various themes are explored through the consideration of a specific 1905 excursion to Bedfordshire from which general conclusions are drawn.
This review study presents an overview of the potential for the development of geoarchaeological ... more This review study presents an overview of the potential for the development of geoarchaeological trails for leisure cyclists in Europe. It initially defines and discusses the underpinning key concepts and then examines the nature and main needs of leisure cyclists. It considers and recognises appropriate geo-interpretative themes, of geological/geomorphological and archaeological/historical interest, to employ in developing the trails. Noting that river valleys have long been natural route-ways for human expansion into Europe (as exemplified by the ‘Stone Age’ and the Roman Empire), and that many of today’s major cycle trails are beside rivers with loess deposits, a geoarchaeological geotourism strategy is considered in relation to them. Case studies of specific sites, from central southern England, the Middle Danube and Middle Rhine valleys, outline the current provision and the basis of the proposed trails. Finally, a common relatively low-cost, mixed media, geo-interpretative and...
Geoarcheology is a term used to describe the work of experts who deal with the archeological reco... more Geoarcheology is a term used to describe the work of experts who deal with the archeological record and combine the expertise of their different disciplines, mainly archeology and geology. Because such scientists have different educational backgrounds and use different research methods it was expected that they might value archeological sites (or geoarchaeological geosites) somewhat differently. The principal aim of this study is to show the results of the application of a GAM’s (Geosite Assessment Model) main values, rank indicators and sub-indicators according to the experts’ preferences and attitudes, as it was presumed that they are not of the same importance. For this purpose, the authors used a AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process), widely used in decision-making analysis, to define the criteria weights and rank the indicators. Two main groups of expert respondents, geoscientists and archeologists, were surveyed and gave their criteria weights. The results obtained by application...
Europe is the birthplace of scientific geology. Much has been achieved in site recording, conserv... more Europe is the birthplace of scientific geology. Much has been achieved in site recording, conservation and latterly, focused on the scientifically important interpretation and preservation. Some sites and collections are tourist attraction. Others await “geotourism" development before they are lost. Interpretative media and visitors typology models are presented. Exemplars are given from Nonh America and Europe. A “geotourism” development strategy is proposed.
Note the striped Carstone (Middle Albian), Red Chalk of the Hunstanton Formation (Cenomanian) and... more Note the striped Carstone (Middle Albian), Red Chalk of the Hunstanton Formation (Cenomanian) and West Melbury Marly Chalk Formation (Cenomanian) sea cliffs and the interpretative panel (designed for English Nature by the Centre for Environmental Interpretation in the early 1990s. Steps near this panel situated at the northern end of the concrete promenade that protects the small day-tourist resort of Hunstanton give access to the beach. The active nature of the cliff falls prompted the local authority to erect (just out of camera shot) a very large and visually intrusive warning sign!
<jats:p>Many of the stakeholders involved in modern geotourism provision lack awareness of ... more <jats:p>Many of the stakeholders involved in modern geotourism provision lack awareness of how the concept essentially ermeged, developed and was defined in Europe. Such stakeholders are unaware of how many of the modern approaches to landscape promotion and interpretation actually have nineteeth century antecedents. Similarly, many of the apparently modern threats to, and issues around, the protection of wild and fragile landscapes and geoconservation of specific geosites also first emerged in the ninetheeth century; the solutions that were developed to address those threats and issues were first applied in the early twentieth century and were subsequently much refined by the opening of the twenty-first century. However, the European engagement with wild and fragile landscapes as places to be appreciated and explored began much earlier than the nineteenth century and can be traced back to Renaissance times. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a summary consideration of this rather neglected aspect of geotourism, initially by considering its modern recognition and definitions and then by examining the English Lake District (with further examples from Britain and Australia available at the website) as a particular case study along with examples.</jats:p>
People have appreciated the beauty of natural landscapes, the result of the interplay of differen... more People have appreciated the beauty of natural landscapes, the result of the interplay of different natural processes, for at least three hundred years in Europe. Many have been inspired by this beauty to promote such places for visits by others. Some have understood the importance of individual places visited within the local or regional environmental system. This has led to definitions and the establishment of protected areas with special visitor rules and regulations. This article presents a case study of Sićevo Gorge Nature Park in Serbia and an opportunity to transform it into a geoheritage site, underpinned by developing its interpretation based on the results of a study using the analytical-hierarchy process (AHP) method.
The Fruška Gora Mt., as a dominant orographic complex in the Pannonian plain, was selected for a ... more The Fruška Gora Mt., as a dominant orographic complex in the Pannonian plain, was selected for a pioneer geodiversity quantification study area due to its unique geology and soil properties. The methodology is based on the geodiversity quantification assessment approach of Serrano and Ruiz-Flaño (Geogr Helv 62:140–147, 2007). It employed a 500 × 500 m grid approach on several maps (lithological, geomorphological, topographical, and pedological) at scales of 1:50.000 to 1:300.000, together with a 30-m resolution digital elevation model for deriving sub-indices and a topographic roughness. The geodiversity index values (Gd) indicate that the highest geodiversity sites are found on the north, north-east and south-western part of the investigated mountain: in steep-sided valleys, along the horst and loess cliffs facing the Danube River. The obtained results are compared with the already recognized in situ geosite location network. This approach can be applied in the given area for geoheritage protection, conservation, and promotion at different levels (from local to national level). Following the results of this study, the criteria for the definition of conservation areas with abiotic significance should be considered, as there is no legal protection of any kind for the areas with the highest geodiversity index values outside the National Park area. Also, it is a potentially effective tool for supporting decision-making processes regarding the management and conservation of natural areas or regions at different scales with further possible applications in Serbia and elsewhere in Europe.
The Peak District is an upland region in central Britain with a rich mining geoheritage. It was e... more The Peak District is an upland region in central Britain with a rich mining geoheritage. It was established as the UK’s first National Park in 1951. It was the region, due to its widespread loss quarries and mines sites to inappropriate remedial measures, which led to the recognition and promotion of the modern geotourism paradigm. It is the birthplace of British geotourism with the earliest recorded instances of leisure travellers purposefully choosing to visit mines and caves. Metalliferous mining in the region can be traced back to the Bronze Age. Gangue minerals, especially fluorspar and barites, later became significant primary extraction activities and underpinned a small-scale semi-precious stone industry. It is home to the World Heritage inscribed site of the Derwent Mills, significant in the development of early Industrial Revolution textile technology and manufacturing practices. The almost equally significant mining geoheritage has yet to be similarly recognised and, inde...
Abstract Most of the excursions organised by the Geologists’ Association in the late 19th C. and ... more Abstract Most of the excursions organised by the Geologists’ Association in the late 19th C. and early 20th C. were essentially pedestrian in nature. However, around the turn of the 20th C. and up to the Great War (1914–1918), the Association experimented with either specific cycling-based excursions or those that accommodated the needs of cyclist excursionists. At the time, the Association, with its London base, was ideally placed to employ the railway network as the basis for its excursions. Railways were then the principal mode of transport for middle- and long- distance journeys and were increasingly promoting suburban expansion, creating potential new field excursion areas. The railways catered for those pedestrian excursionists and cyclists who wished to venture further afield from London than was previously possible on a day- or half- day trip. The notices and reports of excursions published by the Association are examined and critiqued. The cycling excursions are examined and contextualised within a combined technological and socio-historical framework; parallels are drawn with today. A re-examination of the excursions also provides a benchmark, useful for geoconservation purposes, of the availability and accessibility of historical geosites. It can underpin new self-guided geotrails suitable for use by a wider audience than traditional geological excursionists. These various themes are explored through the consideration of a specific 1905 excursion to Bedfordshire from which general conclusions are drawn.
This review study presents an overview of the potential for the development of geoarchaeological ... more This review study presents an overview of the potential for the development of geoarchaeological trails for leisure cyclists in Europe. It initially defines and discusses the underpinning key concepts and then examines the nature and main needs of leisure cyclists. It considers and recognises appropriate geo-interpretative themes, of geological/geomorphological and archaeological/historical interest, to employ in developing the trails. Noting that river valleys have long been natural route-ways for human expansion into Europe (as exemplified by the ‘Stone Age’ and the Roman Empire), and that many of today’s major cycle trails are beside rivers with loess deposits, a geoarchaeological geotourism strategy is considered in relation to them. Case studies of specific sites, from central southern England, the Middle Danube and Middle Rhine valleys, outline the current provision and the basis of the proposed trails. Finally, a common relatively low-cost, mixed media, geo-interpretative and...
Geoarcheology is a term used to describe the work of experts who deal with the archeological reco... more Geoarcheology is a term used to describe the work of experts who deal with the archeological record and combine the expertise of their different disciplines, mainly archeology and geology. Because such scientists have different educational backgrounds and use different research methods it was expected that they might value archeological sites (or geoarchaeological geosites) somewhat differently. The principal aim of this study is to show the results of the application of a GAM’s (Geosite Assessment Model) main values, rank indicators and sub-indicators according to the experts’ preferences and attitudes, as it was presumed that they are not of the same importance. For this purpose, the authors used a AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process), widely used in decision-making analysis, to define the criteria weights and rank the indicators. Two main groups of expert respondents, geoscientists and archeologists, were surveyed and gave their criteria weights. The results obtained by application...
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