Paola Coratza

Late Quaternary episodic displacement on a sackung scarp in the central Spanish Pyrenees. Secondary paleoseismic evidence

A sackung scarp has been investigated by trenching in the central Spanish Pyrenees. This feature is located 18 km to the SW of the North Maladeta Fault, which is the most probable source of the Mw 5.3 Vielha earthquake of 1923. Three displacement events have been inferred for the trenched sackung based on colluvial wedge stratigraphy and fault truncation. The increasing amount of deformation in each successive faulting event may be related to the progressive weakening of the slope through time. A minimum vertical slip rate of 0.19 mm/yr has been calculated for the sackung scarp. Several arguments suggest that the episodic displacement of the analysed sackung is controlled by strong seismic shaking: (a) Spatial association of the sackung features with the North Maladeta Fault; (b) Episodic displacement with a millennial recurrence (5.6 kyr) consistent with the expectable earthquake recurrence interval for a low slip rate fault, like the neighbouring North Maladeta Fault. Demonstrating in future investigations that the sackung features in the area constitute archives of large paleoearthquakes would be of great interest for seismic hazard assessments. They might help to improve the catalogue of paleoearthquakes and might provide information on earthquake recurrence intervals and the age of the most recent event (MRE).

Geomorphosites and Natural Hazards: Teaching the Importance of Geomorphology in Society

Geomorphosites and geological landscapes are among the most important tourist attractions of rural and mountain areas. In the past decades, especially thanks to several research and cultural projects on geological heritage, many regional and local authorities have started inventorying and publicising their landscapes and sites of geological and geomorphological interest publishing booklets, geotouristic maps and equipping their territories with explanatory panels. Nevertheless, geology and geomorphology are able to occupy the head titles of the major newspapers or make the breaking news on TV channels only when natural hazards hit the population. Making the processes that shape the morphologies at the Earth’s surface understandable to a wider public and helping people to “read” the wide variety of signs and remnants of recent or remote natural disasters might help to retain society’s memory of these phenomena and therefore minimise human and material losses. The geomorphological scars in the landscape that remind, if adequately interpreted, past natural and or human-induced disasters are ideal spots for geo-environmental education and should therefore be the subject of a scientific programme able to exploit their didactic value. This paper reports some interesting examples of such sites in Italy.

Recognition and assessment of sinkholes as geosites: lessons from the Island of Gozo (Malta)

Recognition and assessment of sinkholes as geosites: lessons from the Island of Gozo (Malta) There is a wide literature on sinkhole or doline classification, formation and evolution. However, despite the fact that they are often characterised by spectacular morphological features, sinkholes are not normally described as geological resources which might be valuable for the society and worth of being promoted for their geomorphological importance. A series of sinkholes have been investigated in the Island of Gozo (Malta), some of which of notable size and high aesthetic interest. These sinkholes have been assessed applying a methodology which has been specifically set up with the aim of verifying whether any of them could be considered as geosites according to their scientific, additional (ecological, aesthetic, cultural) and use values. The paper shows the geosite assessment procedure and discusses its outputs, according to which 6 out of the 17 investigated sinkholes can be considered as geosites of geomorphological interest (geomorphosites). Finally, issues related to their enhancement and fruition are taken into account in the frame of potential geotourism strategies.

The importance of mountain geomorphosites for environmental education: examples from the Italian Dolomites and the Swiss Alps

Because of their specific physical characteristics (altitude, slope, orientation, climate), mountain environments have an important natural diversity. In particular, their geodiversity is generally much larger than in the lowlands, and because mountain geosites are often very aesthetic, mountain areas present a great potential for geoheritage, geoconservation and geotourism studies. This paper reviews six reasons why this potential is high and concludes that mountain areas are particularly interesting to develop educational programs on three current environmental issues: climate change; natural hazards; and human impacts on particularly sensitive geomorphological environments. Then, the paper reviews the principal research in the field of geoheritage currently carried out on these three topics and presents two case studies in the Italian Dolomites and the Swiss Alps.

Current Research on Geomorphosites

Geomorphosites are landforms of special interest for society. Their recognition as such by increasingly larger sectors—including political, educational, tourism and nature conservation—is the result of a process of ‘heritage making’ in which different groups (Earth scientists, conservationists, tourism providers, etc.) are involved. The recognition of geological structures and geomorphological landforms as heritage, however, is relatively ancient (Reynard et al. 2011a), but over the last 20 years, or so, this view has been influenced by a renewed interest in Earth sciences sites led mainly by geoscientists. This new development necessitates conceptual and methodological improvements in various domains of the Earth sciences. In the field of Geomorphology, it is the Working Group on Geomorphosites created by the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) at the 5th International Conference on Geomorphology held in Tokyo in 2001 that has acted as the principal arena for the development of a specific field of research on geomorphological heritage within the community of geomorphologists (for a review of the scientific production of the Working Group’s members, see Reynard and Coratza 2013). Research results have been published in various special issues of journals (e.g. in a volume of Il Quaternario (Piacente and Coratza, 2005) on geomorphosites and geodiversity; thematic issues on geomorphosite assessment in Geomorphologie (Reynard and Panizza, 2005) and Geographica Helvetica (Reynard and Coratza 2007); a volume on geomorphosites and culture in the Memorie Descrittive della Carta Geologica d’Italia (Coratza and Panizza, 2010); a second volume of Geomorphologie (Giusti, 2010); a special issue on geomorphosites and geotourism in Geoheritage (Reynard et al., 2011b); the Collection EDYTEM volume (Hoblea et al. 2013) on the management of geoheritage in protected areas; a second special issue of Geoheritage on digital technologies applied to geoheritage studies (Cayla et al., 2014); and a book on geomorphosites by Reynard et al (2009). Currently, the research on geomorphosites is developing in the following directions: 1. Methodological issues that were at the centre of the activities of the Working Group during the years 2001–2009 continue to remain an important research field, in particular concerning geoheritage assessment and inventories (Brilha 2015) and digital technologies applied to geoheritage management (Cayla 2014); 2. A focus on specific geomorphological contexts such as mountain environments (Reynard and Coratza 2015) and urban contexts (Pica 2014) aims at exploring the challenges concerning particular types of landforms; 3. Finally, the community of researchers working on geomorphological heritage is collaborating with others working on other fields of geoheritage studies, in particular geodiversity and geotourism research, and with other specialised fields of geomorphological research such as geoarchaeology, geohazards and process geomorphology. The Working Group on Geomorphosites organised a thematic session on geomorphosites during the 8th International Conference on Geomorphology held in Paris on August 27–31, 2013. Emmanuel Reynard (University of Lausanne), Paola Coratza (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) and Dominique Sellier (University of Nantes) chaired the session that included 22 oral presentations and 34 posters covering three main topics (methodological issues—scale and assessment; characterisation and dissemination of geomorphological value; cultural and urban geomorphological heritage). This issue of Geoheritage presents seven papers from the Paris Conference session. The first two texts deal with methodological issues. Dominique Sellier proposes a method that can be used for the selection of sites used for the popularisation of geomorphological heritage in educational and tourist contexts. This methodology is divided in two stages: the first is a comprehensive geomorphological analysis that allows the definition of different geomorphotypes that are the basic geomorphological units representative of the regional geomorphology; the second stage comprises the selection of the geosites that should represent each geomorphotype and that can then be used for popularising the regional geomorphology. The proposed method is applied to Mont Ventoux in Southern France. The issue of the pre-selection of potential geomorphosites is also discussed in the paper by Emmanuel Reynard et al., which proposes an integrative approach for the selection and assessment of geomorphological heritage at the regional scale. The article not only extensively describes the various steps of the assessment method; it also discusses cartographic issues concerning the management of geomorphosites. The main improvement proposed by these two contributions to methodological debates concerning geomorphosite inventories is the focus on the pre-selection of potential geomorphosites, a process that was appeared almost as a ‘black box’ in numerous methods proposed previously. Two papers relate to integrative approaches aimed at inventorying geomorphological heritage at a regional scale in a context of geotourism development in the Czech Republic and in Malta, respectively. Lucie Kubalikova and Karel Kirchner carried out a geosite and geomorphosite inventory in the Vizovicka vrchovina region in the Eastern Czech Republic. Based on the assessment of various values (scientific, educational, economical and conservation values), six geosites were assessed using a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). The assessment and the SWOT analysis serve as a basis for the geotourism promotion of the selected sites. In Malta, Paola Coratza et al. discuss the issues of linking natural and cultural heritage on sites considered worthy to be inserted into the World Heritage List. The paper shows the interest of bridging the cultural and natural values of the outstanding scenery of the Dwejra area in Gozo Island (Malta) and focuses on the threats the landforms are suffering and their geotourism potential. The three remaining papers are case studies focusing on specific contexts and approaches that are currently at the core of research on geomorphosites, as summarised above. The study by Irene Bollati et al. aims at measuring the evolution of active geomorphosites. Indeed, it is a specific requirement for geomorphological heritage, when compared to most other types of geoheritage, that this is taken into account when there are a large number of active sites, especially in mountainous contexts. Until now, the study of these sites has mainly focused on the evaluation of their quality; the use of process geomorphological approaches, as it is the example here using dendrogeomorphological methods, is an encouraging and significant development within geomorphosite studies, in particular on active geomorphological contexts such as coastal and mountain environments. The paper by Alessia Pica et al. proposes an original approach for the analysis of geomorphological heritage in urban contexts (in this case, Rome). This approach combines ‘classical’ geomorphological survey—in particular geomorphological mapping (for which specific labels for anthropogenic landforms had to be created)—with geohistorical approaches (diachronic analysis of historical maps), as well as geomorphosite assessment methods and the creation of geotourist itineraries. The final aim is to propose geomorphological interpretive tools that could be used by cultural guides. Finally, in line with the work presented in the special issue on the use of new digital technologies in geomorphosite studies (Cayla et al 2014), Barbara Aldighieri et al. propose a tool for the development of virtual tours within 3D digital environments. The tool—Openalp 3D—allows the visualisation of impressive mesoscale landforms and the preparation of virtual field trips and is tested within the Dolomites World Heritage Site. This selection of papers shows how research on geomorphosites continues to develop. After a first phase dedicated to methodological developments, particularly for the evaluation and the cartography of geomorphosites, the researchers explore new methods for the selection, monitoring and visualisation of geomorphosites, leading to new approaches specifically aimed at integration with other fields of research (culture, tourism, education) and new contexts, in particular urban and virtual environments.

Urban Geomorphological Heritage. An Overview

Abstract Urbanization is a global phenomenon and currently more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Studies on geomorphological heritage and the development of specific methods of investigation (assessment, inventories, cartography) are, however, relatively rare and limited. This paper first describes the relationships between urbanization and geomorphology. Secondly, it presents an overview of the main works on the urban geomorphological heritage. Then, the main methods of investigation are presented. Finally, we discuss the challenging issues concerning the protection and the promotion of the urban geomorphological heritage.

The Specificities of Geomorphological Heritage

Abstract The geomorphological heritage embraces landforms and processes playing a key role in the understanding of the history of Earth and having a strict relationship with both the biological and the cultural heritage. Due to its specific characteristics – the aesthetic dimension, the dynamic dimension and the imbrication of scales – the geomorphological heritage is unique and distinctive within the geoheritage and has promoted great interest over time from a touristic viewpoint. Geomorphological heritage is more than ever in a position to become a significant sustainable territorial resource, enhanced through geotourism and environmental education. The specificities of geomorphological heritage induce particular methods of study and practices, adapted from classical geomorphology and borrowing from other related disciplines, essentially geographical. Thus, alongside cultural geomorphology and social geomorphology, a heritage geomorphology emerges, the main purposes of which are not only the characterization of the geomorphological heritage, but also methods of protection and management.

Bridging Natural and Cultural Values of Sites with Outstanding Scenery: Evidence from Gozo, Maltese Islands

The paper focuses on a site of outstanding scenery located along the NW coast of the Island of Gozo (Malta, central Mediterranean Sea), which was included in Malta’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 1998 on the basis of the four criteria related to natural properties. The aim of the study is to bridge scientific and cultural values of the Dwejra area by examining, in particular, its geological and geomorphological features, which have been fundamental in shaping such a spectacular scenery and determining its historical and cultural importance. The coast of the Maltese Islands, has had a series of occupiers over the last ten millennia leading to the development of a high density of coastal uses. Such uses superimpose on both a diverse range of aesthetic natural qualities and also different cultural properties that have changed over time. Sinkholes were a source of shelter on rectilinear coasts and are now areas that attract visitors due to their outstanding natural beauty. The low sloping limestone coast provided an ideal geological setting for salt panning production, whereas today these are the main areas for recreational activities. Over the years, the investigated area has, however, suffered the pressure of diverse human activities, often leading to conflicting interests and resultant landscape damage. As a result, geoconservation aspects of this site have often been at the centre of national debates. In the light of these issues, this work aims at providing a better understanding of the geological and geomorphological value of the Dwejra area, in order to strengthen the basis for setting-up a sustainable geoconservation plan, which includes geotourism issues.

Geomorphological features of the Rio della Rocca valley (northern Apennines, Italy)

This paper presents a geomorphological map of the Rio della Rocca valley, a small catchment located in the lower Apennines of the Province of Reggio Emilia (northern Italy). The geomorphological map has been produced at a scale 1:7500 as a base document within multidisciplinary investigations aimed at the rehabilitation of the area, which is characterised by peculiar geological and geomorphological features and a high scenic value, despite clear evidence of human impact. Since the mid 1950s the valley has been affected by quarrying activities which in some places have deeply changed its environmental and, in particular, geomorphological features. As a part of the research, geomorphological survey and mapping were carried out in order to detect the main slope instability and erosional processes and landforms and, at the same time, to recognise sites of geological and geomorphological interest. Proposals for territorial development have been proposed which take into account geotourism and recreational issues.

Geoheritage and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Abstract Geoheritage represents an important part of natural and cultural heritage, and provides society with a broad range of services that are fundamental for its socioeconomic development. Due to its nature, geoheritage constitutes a nonrenewable resource; thus, natural processes and human activities can produce a partial or total loss of such heritage and associated services. In order to achieve the protection and conservation of geoheritage, one strategy is the identification and estimation of the probable impacts produced by human activity, with the objective of designing mitigation measures. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) represents the best tool to reach these objectives. Even though this procedure has existed since the end of the 1960s and is now being practised in many countries, the integration of geoheritage into EIA is not yet satisfactory. Some efforts were made at the end of 20th century, but methodologies for the integration of geoheritage in the EIA procedures are still very limited.