Geological Heritage

The themes of geodiversity and geoconservation arise  in the XXI century as contributions of geosciences to sustainable development. Due to gigantic urban realm, social and environmental collapses, and intense occupation of the geosphere, became urgent the culturalization of issues related to Earth, especially of their conservation. In this context, the geodiversity concepts and its ecosystems functions had been proposed as well as strategies and methodologies for applying geoconservation. Although older, geoconservation strategies gained ground in the environmental and patrimonial management from de 1990's. Since then, different methodological proposals had been constructed in order to provide technical and scientifically support for such actions. This paper presents methodological contributions to integrated assessment of geological units from the analysis of six thematic maps of Porto Alegre city and from the proposition of a matrix constituted by 12 geolandscape indicators applied to 22 local geological units. In addition, 11 geosites are linked in terms of geological itineraries that allow reflecting regional geological history. Finally, this study proposes the Geological Itineraries of Porto Alegre as a socioeducational technology that could help to connect citizens with
the landscape where they live. Thus, geoeducation and geoconservation may have importante roles in environmental management of crowded cities.

FANTONI R., ROGGERINI D., DEL BELLO S., GONELLA A. e BELTRAMI G. (2016, a cura di) – L’attività mineraria nelle Alpi. Il futuro di una storia millenaria. XXVI edizione degli Incontri Tra/Montani 23-25 settembre 2016 Gorno (BG). Riassunti delle relazioni del convegno e guida alle escursioni, Ecomuseo delle Miniere di Gorno e Incontri Tra/Montani, pp. 78.

This article examines the heritage destruction undertaken by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. To date, their iconoclasm has been mostly characterised either as acts of wanton barbarism devoid of religious or political justification, or as a cynical performance designed as a mass media spectacle. Drawing on a systematic analysis of two key IS propaganda outlets – their on-line magazine, Dabiq, and the various slick films released by Al-Hayat – this article argues that the heritage destruction perpetrated by the IS are not only situated within a carefully articulated theological framework and key to the creation of a new and ideologically pure ‘Islamic State’, but that they are also constituted by several complex layers of religious and political iconoclasm. To demonstrate, this article documents the iconoclasm undertaken by the IS along two key axes: Symbolic Sectarianism (Shia and Sufi mosques and shrines); and Pre-Monotheistic Iconoclasm (ancient polytheistic sites). Attacks on key sites within these categories, such as the Sayyida Zaynab shrine in Damascus or the Mosul Museum, not only adhere to their religious and political framework but also serve broader geo-political agendas and are attacked as proxy targets for their physical and ideological opponents.

Decorrente do desaparecimento de muitas das funções que moldaram a paisagem de Sicó, especialmente na segunda metade do século XX, assiste-se actualmente a uma transformação significativa desta paisagem cultural. Nas últimas décadas, as mudanças daí consequentes têm sido alcançadas em fracções de tempo diminutas, quando comparadas com a primeira metade do século XX. Este último facto poderá vir a representar uma mudança de paradigma numa região onde as componentes natural e cultural têm um valor de reconhecida importância internacional.
É num contexto de manifesta mudança, que mexe com as bases das identidades regional, local e, inclusivamente, pessoal, que se insere o presente artigo. Partindo de um denominador comum, o vento, efectua-se uma análise algo sucinta, contudo concreta, especificamente de dois objectos que apesar de partilharem o vento enquanto força motriz, têm histórias e impactos muito diferenciados, ambos negativos num passado recente, embora por motivos igualmente muito diferenciados.

In the last few years, there has been in our country an increasing interest for the geological heritage, and the willing by the administrations to know, preserve and take profit of it. On this sense, last year the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac natural park commissioned to us the elaboration of an inventory of geosites, and a guide of use of its geological heritage for its technicians, workers and managers.

La cantera de Forbes, en Gibraltar, ha sido uno de los primeros yacimientos mundiales en los que
aparecieron restos fósiles de Homo neanderthalensis. Desde su descubrimiento, en 1848, ha
permanecido casi en el olvido científico. Los trabajos geoarqueológicos que actualmente se realizan,
dentro del Gibraltar Caves Project, están reconstruyendo la paleogeografía del hábitat, la posible
edad de ocupación y la restauración y puesta en valor de la zona como Patrimonio Natural.

A Geomitologia da Pedra da Onça apresenta uma ampla influência cultural sobre os moradores da Ilha do Governador (Rio de Janeiro, RJ). As variantes dessa história têm como parte em comum a transformação de um felídeo em rocha (petrificação), possibilitando a divulgação dos elementos locais da geodiversidade e biodiversidade por meio de uma abordagem lúdica, visando à conservação do Patrimônio Natural e Cultural. Para alcançar tal objetivo, o presente estudo elaborou uma recriação do mito por meio da substituição da onça e do gato-maracajá (os dois animais citados nas variantes) pelo Smilodon populator, animal extinto cuja ocorrência pretérita é bem documentada no Brasil. Além disso, o presente estudo demonstra o potencial de tal metodologia para o ensino da história evolutiva de grupos biológicos, uma vez que se faz presente aqui também um breve resumo sobre a evolução no grupo interno dos Felidae, além de abordar os hábitos de vida do gato-maracajá (Leopardus wiedii) e de Smilodon. Como a história evolutiva de Felidae está intrinsecamente relacionada a ambos os táxons referidos, o método aqui empregado revela um notável potencial para a divulgação e ensino de Geociências e Biologia. Palavras-chave: Smilodon populator; Ensino de Geociências; Geoconservação Abstract The Geomythology of the Pedra da Onça has a widespread cultural influence on the Ilha do Governador local population (Rio de Janeiro, RJ). The variants of this history have in common the transformation of a felid into a rock (petrification), enabling the dissemination of local geodiversity and biodiversity elements through a playful approach, aiming the conservation of the Natural and Cultural Heritage. In order to reach this goal, the present study produced a recreation of the myth by the replacement of the jaguar and the margay (the two animals cited in the variants) by Smilodon popular, an extinct animal whose past occurrence is well documented in Brazil. Moreover, this study demonstrated the potential of such methodology for teaching the evolutionary history of biological groups, since it is also presented here a brief summary on the evolution of the Felidae ingroup, besides addressing the margay (Leopardus wiedii) and Smilodon life habits. Once the evolutionary history of Felidae is intrinsically related to these two taxa, we regarded that this method revealed a distinct potential in scientific disclosure and teaching of Geosciences and Biology.

Lviv is unique not only in its historical and cultural heritage. It also has a great nature tourism potential, which is still practically not used. An analysis of the geological structure and the relief of Lviv’s outskirts allows outlining a number of important objects from the scientific, educational and tourist points of view that may become geo-tourist attractions.
These are, in particular, the stereotypes of the Miocene layers (Lysychyn village, Medova (honey) Cave, Mount Kaiserwald); mountain buttes like High Castle, Piskova Mountain (Lion’s Mt.), Kortum’s Mountain; a hilly complex of the Citadel; artificial outcrops in the old quarry (near
the village of Birky), etc..

O geoturismo visa apreciar, divulgar e valorizar o patrimônio geológico e geomorfológico que no caso
do município de João Pessoa, na Paraíba, é formado por uma paisagem natural basicamente
litorânea, com destaque para suas dunas, falésias, restingas e corpos d´água principalmente. Com a
finalidade de conhecer em detalhes esse importante geopatrimônio foi realizado o mapeamento do
potencial geoturístico de João Pessoa, contemplando (a) identificação, (b) inventariação, (c) avaliação
quantitativa, (d) classificação-conservação-monitorização e (e) valorização-divulgação. Com o
resultado será possível elaborar um Guia Geoturístico Urbano para a capital paraibana.

Considering the exceptional geological characteristics of iron oxide and sulphur lavas structures cropping out at El Laco and Lastarria volcanic complexes in Northern Chile, their geographical context, and the Chilean legal framework for conservation, the authors make a general assessment of the geological heritage value of both volcanoes, while analysing the possibilities and challenges that arise in order to protect them. Relevant issues in this matter are the lack of appropriate laws and of applied geoconservation experience in the country, and the difficulty of attracting financial resources but also a big potential for conciliating conservation with mining, different alternatives of tourism—including geotourism—, or other sustainable initiatives, in a naturally and culturally diverse and rich region, already known as a world class tourist destination. Thus results the need to identify the relevant geosites present in each volcano, to emphasize their study and knowledge, as well as a proactive role of public authorities in order to effectively protect these extremely rare and vulnerable geological features. Analysing the specific cases of both volcanic complexes as possible geological heritage locations, the authors aim to highlight the main problems that need to be solved in order to introduce proper geoconservation in the area.

ABSTRACT.
For some years, a French-Belgian team of archaeologists and geologists is investigating the provenance of ancient quern-stones and millstones. Their study revealed the frequent occurrence of particular coarse sandstones derived from Lower Devonian strata in the Ardenne region, known as either the “Arkose of Haybes” by geologists or the “Arkose of Macquenoise” by archaeologists.
Material for Late Iron Age and Roman quern-stones and millstones was quarried from open pits located west of the border between France  and  Belgium,  between  the  Belgian  village  of  Macquenoise (Commune  of  Momignies,  Province  of  Hainaut)  and  the  French town  of  Hirson  (Aisne  Department,  Hauts-de-France  region).  This paper  describes  the  raw  materials,  presents  the  different  types  of grindstones produced through historical times and provides a detailed diffusion map of the millstones.
KEYWORDS: arkose, Lochkovian, milling stone, Gallo-Roman quarry, distribution area, geoheritage.

RÉSUMÉ.  Le  Grès  de  Macquenoise,  une  ressource  naturelle  du Lochkovien  (Dévonien)  adaptée  à  la  réalisation  de  meules  à  grains :  carrières,  propriétés  du  matériau,  fabrication  et  diffusion des  meules  (Belgique  –  France).
Depuis  quelques  années,  une  équipe  franco-belge  d’archéologues  et  de  géologues  travaille  sur  la  caractérisation  des  roches  meulières.  Notre  étude  a  révélé  l’utilisation fréquente de grès grossiers dévoniens originaires du Massif des Ardennes pour la fabrication de meules rotatives antiques.
Ces grès sont connus sous l’appellation d’“Arkose d’Haybes” par les géologues et d’“Arkose de Macquenoise” par les archéologues.
Depuis la Protohistoire et jusqu’à la fin de la période romaine, des meules ont été extraites de carrières à ciel ouvert situées à l’ouest de  la  frontière  franco-belge,  entre  le  village  belge  de  Macquenoise  (Momignies,  Province  de  Hainaut)  et  la  ville  française  d’Hirson (Département de l’Aisne, Région des Hauts-de-France). Le but de cet article est de présenter les grès lochkoviens exploités à cet endroit, ainsi que les meules à grains produites à l’époque gallo-romaine dans les différentes carrières de ce district meulier. Ces productions étant désormais bien identifiées et reconnues en de nombreux sites archéologiques de France et de Belgique, il est possible de proposer une carte précise de la diffusion de ces meules en “Grès de Macquenoise”.
MOTS-CLÉS: arkose, Lochkovien, meule, carrière gallo-romaine, aire de diffusion, patrimoine géologique.

We will begin by showing how Geoparks have not been created ex nihilo, but are rather the result of a trend towards the increased granting of heritage status to nature and natural features (the creation of National Parks in the US, the Man & Bio-sphere programme, the World Heritage Trust, etc.) combined with a desire to boost economic development in rural regions, primarily driven by the promotion of tourism. Their development has required Geoparks to conform to international standards, principally the creation of the European Geopark Network (EGN) in 2000, followed by the Global Geopark Network (GGN) in 2004, the Arouca Declaration (2011) and the creation UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGG) in 2015. The introduction of international gov-ernance has sparked an explosion in the granting of heritage status alongside Geopark creation in many countries, but has also led to the emergence of conflicts over this heritage attribution, as well as how geotourism and its aims are interpreted. The ambivalent reception within the Global Geoparks Network towards " top-down " directives from UNESCO strikes us as an interesting prism through which to examine how the presence of different stakeholders (managers, scientists) and their differing conceptions of geotourism reveal divergent views of heritage status and its interpretation within the territories concerned.

RESUMO: Situadas no extremo sul da “bacia carbonífera” do Vale do Lena, entre as vilas de Mendiga e Alcanede, as minas de carvão de Cabeço do Veado e de Valverde tiveram uma história marcada por sucessivas mudanças de concessionário, a par de tentativas mal sucedidas de exploração industrial. Foram, na região, das primeiras concessões a serem objeto de pesquisas, tendo sido, depois de longos períodos de abandono, das últimas a encerrar.
Carlos Ribeiro, engenheiro do Estado ali enviado em meados de 1854 para o reconhecimento oficial dos jazigos, confirmou as ocorrências registadas na Câmara Municipal por Raymundo Lacerda, oficial do exército e proprietário lisbonense, presumindo a sua continuidade em profundidade. No entanto chamou a atenção para a presença de pirites que, em sua opinião, poderiam restringir as aplicações industriais do carvão. Contudo, em sua opinião, o maior obstáculo à exploração destes jazigos do “oolite médio” (Jurássico Superior) era o do transporte do carvão até aos lugares de consumo, dependendo o sucesso do empreendimento da construção de um intricado sistema de canais fluviais a abrir para Sul, assegurando uma ligação barata ao rio Tejo, por onde as barcaças carregadas desceriam até Lisboa.
Embora muitas esperanças se tenham depositado nestas minas, nunca foram atingidos valores de produção expressivos, nem mesmo durante as duas guerras mundiais, quando a atividade do Couto Mineiro se intensificou. Contudo, embora intermitentes, os trabalhos, foram sendo retomados repetidamente até meados de 1954, atingindo uma profundidade de cerca de 180 m, na vã esperança de se virem a encontrar camadas que pudessem garantir uma exploração rentável, produzindo carvões de fácil aceitação no mercado. Nada afinal, que as sondagens de 1941 do Instituto Português de Combustíveis, não deixassem antever.

PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Minas; carvão; Couto Mineiro do Lena; Porto de Mós; Portugal.


ABSTRACT: Located on the southern part of the "coal basin" of the Lena valley, between the villages of Mendiga and Alcanede, the mines of “iron and coal” of Cabeço do Veado and coal of Valverde had a history marked by successive changes of dealership and unsuccessful attempts of exploitation, alternating with long periods of abandonment or reduced activity, even after its integration in the "Couto Mineiro do Lena" (mining-field of Lena), in 1929. Captain Carlos Ribeiro, the state engineer sent there in mid-1854 for official recognition of the deposits, confirmed the occurrences registered at the City Council by Raymundo Lacerda, army officer and "owner" from Lisbon, assuming its continuity at depth. but calling attention to the frequent presence of iron pyrites which, in his opinion, could restrict industrial applications of that coal. However, the biggest obstacle to the exploitation of these deposits from the "Oolitic Period" (Upper Jurassic) was, the coal transportation to the places of consumption,  and the mining success as conditioned to the opening of a southward interwoven system of canals (never built) which could ensure a cheap connection with the Tagus river, where loaded barges could descend easily to Lisbon.Although many hopes have been deposited in these mines, the production never achieved expressive values, even during the two World Wars, when the activity was intense. However, these intermittent works were repeatedly being resumed till mid-1954, reaching a depth of approximately 180 m in the vain hope of coming to find layers that could guarantee a profitable operation, producing coals easily acceptable in the market. Nothing at all, that the drillings made in 1941by the Portuguese Institute for Fuels, not left guessing.

KEYWORDS: Mines; coal; Mining field of Lena; Porto de Mos; Portugal.

See the link to obtain free Pdf version of the text: Testo riguardante il "Progetto Geositi della Puglia" riportante i risultati del servizio di "Ricognizione e verifica del patrimonio geologico esistente con individuazione dei geositi e delle emergenze geologiche della Regione Puglia", al fine di dare attuazione alla L.R. 33/2009 - Azione 4.4.1 – Linea 4.4 – ASSE IV – P.O. FESR 2007 -2013 aggiudicata con D.D n. 17 del 02/02/2012 al R.T.I. tra UNI.VERSUS – CSEI – Consorzio Universitario per la Formazione l l’Innovazione (Capofila), Società Italiana di Geologia Ambientale (SIGEA), Università degli Studi Di Bari Aldo Moro e Università Degli Studi di Genova. testo a cura di Mastronuzzi G.; Valletta S.; Damiani A.; FioreA.; Francescangeli R.; giandonato P. Bp.; Viurilli V.; Sabato L.. ISBN:9788890671685.