PHOTO CHRONICLE
 

On this occasion, the Apuan Alps Geopark participated to the International Conference on Unesco Global Geoparks for the first time. This biennial GGN appointment has been chosen to present and enhance "Rains and Ruins", the exhibition thought for reminding twenty years after the disastrous 1996 Flood in Versilia and Garfagnana. The presentation of this educational and cultural event has been attended by an international audience during the panel discussion on "Disaster Risk Reduction".
 

Sunday 25.09.2016

A suggestive view of Tor bay, in front of Torquay, on the south-east coast of Devon county (England).

Sunday 25.09.2016

The most important historic building in Torquay is Torre Abbey. It is located a short walk from the Riviera International Conference Center.
This complex monument was founded in 1196 as a monastery for Premonstratensian Canons and subsequently was modified for other uses.

The picture shows the eastern side of Torre Abbey. From right to left, you can see the gatehouse, scullery block and undercrofts.

Sunday 25.09.2016

The west side of the medieval cloister is still standing in Torre Abbey.

Monday 26.09.2016

The first day is entirely devoted to the Coordination Committee of the European Geoparks Network. The representatives of the 69 European Geoparks participate to this event.
The location is inside the Imperial Hotel in Torquay.

Monday 26.09.2016

Nikolas Zouros (EGN and GGN Coordinator) sits at the chairman's table together with Nick Powe (Director of Kents Cavern prehistoric caves).

Monday 26.09.2016

Maurizio Burlando (Beigua Unesco Global Geopark) is the chairman during the meeting section in the afternoon.
 

Tuesday 27.09.2016

Everything is ready for the opening ceremony in the Riviera International Conference Center.
 

Tuesday 27.09.2016

The original performance "Earth Echoes", including dance, music, song, story and drama, is offered to the guests and partners before the Conference.

Tuesday 27.09.2016

Prof. Iain Stewart (Geoscience Communication - Plymouth University) presents a high-level key note. He tells geology through "travels in worlds that don't exist".

Tuesday 27.09.2016

Prof. Patrick McKeever is the official voice of Unesco in the Conference. His speech summarizes the main aspects and contents of the Intenational Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP).

Tuesday 27.09.2016

The intervention of prof. Nickolas Zouros concludes the "key notes" session. The GGN President describes the Geoparks activity as a global partnership on geo-conservation and sustainable development.

Tuesday 27.09.2016

A short break in the Conference allows the visit to the Geofair. Posters, books, brochures are available in 44 stands from intenational organisations, association and geoparks.

Tuesday 27.09.2016

h. 15.50 - Grace Murrell (b) room: Dr. Aniello Aloia (Cilento and Vallo di Diano Geopark) explains his presentation: "Preserving cultural and natural heritage in a multiple-designation site (Unesco world heritage, MAB, Unesco Global Geopark, Mediterranian Diet)".
Chairman is Vajolet Mase (Adamello Brenta Geopark).

Tuesday 27.09.2016

An outdoor event is scheduled in the evening at Occombe Farm. This is a place that wants to re-connect people with food and farming...

Wednesday 28.09.2016

The Conference programme proposes a plenary session during the first part of the morning. The issue in discussion is "Health and Wellbeing through Creative and Active Engagement". Several experts participate with key notes and own contributes.

Wednesday 28.09.2016

In the afternoon, Dr. Irina Pavlova (Unesco - Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences) introduces the panel discussion about "Disaster Risk Reduction at Unesco Global Geoparks, ways forward".

Wednesday 28.09.2016

The panel discussion table is composed as follows; from left to right: Irina Pavlova (Unesco), Alessia Amorfini (geopark manager of the Apuan Alps Regional Park), Suzette Kimball (director of the United States Geological Survey), Setsuya Nakada (volcanologist - Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokio), and Richard Watson (geopark manager of the Marble Arch Caves - Northern Ireland).

Wednesday 28.09.2016

Dr. Alessia Amorfini faces two different topics.
During the panel discussion, she presents "Rains and Ruins: twenty years ago in the Apuan Alps”. This is the storyboard of the special exhibition on the dramatic 1996 Flood in Versilia and Garfagnana, which is scheduled for winter 2016 and spring 2017.
“Do not gamble on Earth tremble” is the title of her second contribute during the following workshop on the earthquake risk.
These presentations are written by herself with Antonio Bartelletti, Giuseppe Ottria and Emanuele Guazzi.
 

Thursday 29.09.2016

Field trip day... finally...
We suggest a possible title: "Cave & Cove"...

The first stop is into the Kents Cavern: the most important prehistoric cave in Britain. This archaeo-geosite shows some concretions, but its value is especially due to oldest dated hominid bones that were found here.

Thursday 29.09.2016

An impressive stone face captures the attention of the visitors. Archaeologists found Roman coins inside wrinkles and folds of this face, maybe with the meaning of religious offerings.

Thursday 29.09.2016

At the center of the picture a cutted stalagmite marks the original cave floor before the archaeological escavation of the underlying deposits.

Thursday 29.09.2016

Kents Cavern is a real "show cave".
This perfect reconstruction of the archaelogical work remembers us the scientific activity of William Pengelly (1812-1894) and his method of cave escavation that is almost still in use today.

Thursday 29.09.2016

From the underground to the surface...
The second stop of the field trip is at Hope's Nose, north of Tor Bay. This geosite shows a large outcrop of light-grey massive limestone, with stromatoporoids and corals of Middle Devonian age.
Hope's Nose and other areas of Tor Bay (Triangle Point, Dyer's Quarry, Long Quarry Point, Berry Head, etc.) were exploited to provide "marble" during the nineteenth century.

Thursday 29.09.2016

Lead Stone and Ore Stone, two little islands made of Devonian limestone near to Hope's Nose.

Thursday 29.09.2016

Dr. Kevin Page (Lecturer in Earth Sciences - University of Plymouth) guides the geologists group towards the stromatoporoid bank exposed on rock platform.

Thursday 29.09.2016

Also this short succession of thin-layered limestones tells us a complex geology of thrusts, faults and folds.

Thursday 29.09.2016

Thamnopora is a typical fossil of the ancient Devonian tropical seas. It belongs to the tabulate corals (today extinct) that were common forms of anthozoans.
 

Thursday 29.09.2016

A typical view of stromatoporoid-rich limestone on Hope's Nose.

Thursday 29.09.2016

The Devonian fossils of Hope's Nose are not only corals and sponges, but also gastropod molluscs.
 

Thursday 29.09.2016

The geologists group climbs a long and windy route, trought a semi-natural landscape after the crop abandonment.

Thursday 29.09.2016

This panel - created by English Riviera Geopark - explains the geology and paleontology of Saltern Cove and Waterside Cove, last stop of the field trip.

Thursday 29.09.2016

The geologists group admires the beautiful stretch of exposed red cliffs.

Thursday 29.09.2016

The train passes at the top of the cliff.
This is one of the finest heritage steam railway journeys anywhere in Europe.

Thursday 29.09.2016

Overturned fold in the sandstones and siltstones of the Meadfoot Group (Lower Devonian) in Saltern Cove.

Thursday 29.09.2016

Ripple marks are present in the back limb of the same anticline.

Thursday 29.09.2016

During low tide, the emerged rocks show different vegetal and animal forms of intertidal life.

 

Thursday 29.09.2016

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) is a common bird along the red beach of Saltern Cove. In the picture, two different individuals: juvenile (2 years) on the right and non-breeding adult on the left.

Thursday 29.09.2016

This red sandstone had aeolian origin in a dry desert (Lower Permian). In the picture, you can see (near the coin) strange elongated and rounded structures with parallel curved layers of small stones. It is probably the burrow of a giant millipede, up to at least 1 m long.

Thursday 29.09.2016

Roundham Head Breccia (Lower Permian) overlaps on the Meadfoot Group sandstones and slates (Lower Devonian). This unconformity marks a gap (hiatus) of about 130 million of years.

Thursday 29.09.2016

A detail of the previous picture better shows the characteristics of the same unconformity as an angular unconformity.

Thursday 29.09.2016

The geologists group in the final souvenir photo with the unconformity in background.

Friday 30.09.2016

In the morning, a quick visit to the "Strata, the Earth in colour" exhibition on the occasion of 200 years since the publication by William Smith (1769-1839) of the first geological map of England and Wales, with part of Scotland.

Friday 30.09.2016

In the afternoon, Dr. Alessia Amorfini is the chairman of the session 10, theme 2: "Aspiring Geoparks".

Friday 30.09.2016

In this session, Dr. Edoardo Dellarole presents "Towards a regional Unesco District - the Piemonte strategy".

Friday 30.09.2016

Closing Cerimony in the Forum Hall of the Riviera International Conference Centre.
Melanie Border (English Riviera Geopark Coordinator) reads the final declaration focusing some topics: earth, community, peace, sustainable development, georisks reduction, etc.

Friday 30.09.2016

A great surprise for the Italian Geoparks Forum...
Adamello-Brenta has been voted as host of the next International Conference on Unesco Global Geopark that will held in September 2018...

Friday 30.09.2016

7th International Conference has been a successful initiative that has achieved a great media response.

Friday 30.09.2016

7th International Conference was attended by 700 delegates from 63 countries.

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