Earth:Geomorphosite

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A geomorphosite, or geomorphological heritage site, is a landform or an assemblage of landforms that have a scientific, educational, historic-cultural, aesthetic or socio-economic value.[1][2]

The Frank Slide is a geomorphosite[3]

Geomorphosites are included among the geoheritage sites (geosites) and may comprise landforms (or sites of former landforms) that have been hidden or destroyed due to human activities,[4][5] as well as anthropogenic landforms[6][7] of archaeological or historical interest.[8]

Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brasil

The value of a geomorphosite, for purposes of analysis, comparison and protection, can be qualitatively assessed using several methods.[9] Some of these methods are based only on expert judgements and a few evaluation criteria, while others involve assigning a qualitative score to each relevant characteristic of a site (e.g. its scientific importance, educational value etc.) and then weighting and summing (or ranking) the scores to obtain the site's overall value (or rank).

The concept of geomorphosite has its roots in Western scientific thought. In recent decades, natural heritage conservation has increasingly focused on preserving representative examples of specific natural phenomena.[10] This shift aligns with the growing influence of scientific approaches and economic rationalism, which often prioritize objective, data-driven arguments over those perceived as emotional or subjective. However, this representative methodology may not be suitable, for instance, for sites considered sacred by faith communities, as these locations are unique and hold profound spiritual significance that transcends scientific categorization.[10] A solution to this problem may be to consider multiple value dimensions of a geomorphosite and to include into the evaluation process the interested stakeholders and right holders (e.g. indigenous communities), which also ensures a greater degree of objectivity in the evaluation itself.[11]

Uluru, one of the largest and best known inselbergs in the world, which constitute a fundamental landform in the traditional belief of Aṉangu people. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987
Mount Langshan in Xinning County, Hunan, China, part of the China Danxia collection of landforms that entered the World Heritage List in 2010[12].

References

  1. ↑ Panizza, Mario (2001-01-01). "Geomorphosites: Concepts, methods and examples of geomorphological survey" (in en). Chinese Science Bulletin 46 (1): 4–5. doi:10.1007/BF03187227. ISSN 1861-9541. Bibcode: 2001ChSBu..46S...4P. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03187227. 
  2. ↑ Reynard, Emmanuel. "Geomorphosites: Definitions and characteristics". https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288265820. 
  3. ↑ Morino, Costanza; Coratza, Paola; Soldati, Mauro (2022). "Landslides, a Key Landform in the Global Geological Heritage". Frontiers in Earth Science 10. doi:10.3389/feart.2022.864760. ISSN 2296-6463. Bibcode: 2022FrEaS..10.4760M. 
  4. ↑ Clivaz, Mélanie; Reynard, Emmanuel (2018-12-01). "How to Integrate Invisible Geomorphosites in an Inventory: a Case Study in the Rhone River Valley (Switzerland)" (in en). Geoheritage 10 (4): 527–541. doi:10.1007/s12371-017-0222-7. ISSN 1867-2485. Bibcode: 2018Geohe..10..527C. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-017-0222-7. 
  5. ↑ Pica, Alessia; Luberti, Gian Marco; Vergari, Francesca; Fredi, Paola; Monte, Maurizio Del (2017-09-01). "Contribution for an Urban Geomorphoheritage Assessment Method: Proposal from Three Geomorphosites in Rome (Italy)" (in en). Quaestiones Geographicae 36 (3): 21–36. doi:10.1515/quageo-2017-0030. Bibcode: 2017QGeo...36c..21P. 
  6. ↑ (in en) Anthropogenic Geomorphology. 2010. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-3058-0. ISBN 978-90-481-3057-3. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-90-481-3058-0. 
  7. ↑ Howard, Jeffrey (2017), Howard, Jeffrey, ed., "Anthropogenic Landforms and Soil Parent Materials" (in en), Anthropogenic Soils, Progress in Soil Science (Cham: Springer International Publishing): pp. 25–51, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-54331-4_3, ISBN 978-3-319-54331-4, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54331-4_3, retrieved 2022-08-14 
  8. ↑ Filippo, Brandolini; Cremaschi, Mauro; Manuela, Pelfini (2019-12-01). "Estimating the Potential of Archaeo-historical Data in the Definition of Geomorphosites and Geo-educational Itineraries in the Central Po Plain (N Italy)" (in en). Geoheritage 11 (4): 1371–1396. doi:10.1007/s12371-019-00370-5. ISSN 1867-2485. Bibcode: 2019Geohe..11.1371F. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-019-00370-5. 
  9. ↑ Mucivuna, Vanessa Costa; Reynard, Emmanuel; Garcia, Maria da Glória Motta (2019-12-01). "Geomorphosites Assessment Methods: Comparative Analysis and Typology" (in en). Geoheritage 11 (4): 1799–1815. doi:10.1007/s12371-019-00394-x. ISSN 1867-2485. Bibcode: 2019Geohe..11.1799M. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-019-00394-x. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kiernan, Kevin (2015-06-01). "Landforms as Sacred Places: Implications for Geodiversity and Geoheritage" (in en). Geoheritage 7 (2): 177–193. doi:10.1007/s12371-014-0128-6. ISSN 1867-2485. Bibcode: 2015Geohe...7..177K. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12371-014-0128-6. 
  11. ↑ Cameron, Enrico (2024-02-20). "Objectivity in Geosites Inventorying and Assessment Methods" (in en). Geoheritage 16 (1): 30. doi:10.1007/s12371-024-00938-w. ISSN 1867-2485. Bibcode: 2024Geohe..16...30C. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12371-024-00938-w. 
  12. ↑ "China Danxia World Heritage Site". https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1335/. 

Further reading

  • Geographica Elvetica 62(3) (2007) [1]
  • Geomorphologie 11(3) (2005) [2]
  • Reynard E, Coratza P, Regolini – Bissig G (edd., 2009) Geomorphosites. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München



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