VolcandPark abstracts 2012

ABSTRACTS

MONDAY 21

MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED VOLCANIC AREAS Keys, Harry

factors, sustainable development, local collaboration and specific case studies and tools for management.

Department of Conservation, New Zealand Effective management of protected areas requires a strong vision of what protection means, and good relationships between peoples involved. Clear principles are needed which reflect the core values of the area, as well as objectives, policies and procedures to guide or instruct dialogue, management and use of the area. Tensions may exist between preservation of some values of protected areas and their use for business and visitor needs. Decision-making to reach a sufficient level of agreement on the policies or their day-to-day implementation may be difficult or controversial and require experience, integrity and commitment from those involved. Cooperative relationships may be more viable and durable options for management of the area than strong legislation and vigorous law enforcement.

Managing human use or appreciation and minimising impact in protected volcanic areas will involve objectives for special values or places characteristic of them. Volcanic landscapes and processes, geological or biological diversity, cultural or historic heritage may be distinctive, but there may be threats to some of these values. The water, soil, rocks, topography and natural attractions of volcanic areas can bring many benefits to people. Some extractive or consumptive use or intensive tourism, recreation or outdoor education may need special attention, especially where places are vulnerable to damage such as wetlands or erodible soft volcanic material. Volcanic and other hazards may pose management challenges and risks to people inside and outside the area, before during or after eruptions.

Research in volcanic areas will assist local people, infrastructure and businesses and potentially far away from them as well. Together with monitoring, information management and reporting this will also assist many aspects of management, including evaluation of management effectiveness.

Contributions to the conference session on Management of Protected Volcanic Areas represent a wide range of experience from international volcanic parks to La Garrotxa itself. This includes ways to integrate physical aspects with cultural values and management with research, to risk management planning, and lessons involving institutional and socio-economic

INTEGRATED RISK MANAGEMENT IN A PROTECTED VOLCANIC PARK. THE LAGUNA DE APOYO NATURE RESERVE (NICARAGUA) CASE STUDY Vázquez-Prada, D.1, Cerrato, D.2, Gutiérrez, C.2, Gallegos, E.1, De Marco, M.2 1. Geólogos del Mundo - Programa Integral por el Ordenamiento Ambiental de Apoyo (PIXOA).

2. Oficina Técnica de AMICTLAN (Asociación de Municipios Integrados por la Cuenca y Territorios de la Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua) Programa Integral por el Ordenamiento Ambiental de Apoyo (PIXOA).

Risk is a priority in volcanic park management and its prevention involves broad and diverse actions that have to be integrated with environmental protection and sustainable economic development.

In areas with few economic and institutional resources such as Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve in Nicaragua the involvement of local authorities and the population, as well as the establishment of land-use policies and regulations, is a key issue.

The active volcanic caldera of Laguna de Apoyo is an important protected area under pressure from urban development and environmental degradation. These factors, along with the lack of institutional and population awareness, increased risk over time until 2000 when there was a 5.4 seismic event that affected 90 % of local houses. Since then, world geologists have supported the creation of an Association of Seven Municipalities, AMICTLAN, that together manage the Nature Reserve in agreement with the studies and land-use regulations created by the project. They also promote actions designed to strengthen local institutions and their capabilities and improve sensibilities in collaboration with local authorities, municipal technicians, communal organizations and the local population.

Risk management, environmental management and sustainable economic development projects have been carried out simultaneously and have led to a change in direction in local area management. Today, the project is entirely managed by AMICTLAN, local organizations and municipalities.

In this case study, we analyse and document how to develop an effective risk-management plan in a volcanic area as a specific example of the problems, challenges and achievements facing developing and other countries.

PELEHONUAMEA-MANAGING A TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY IN AN ACTIVE VOLCANIC LANDSCAPE Cynthia Orlando, Laura C. Schuster Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hawaii volcanoes national park provides safe access to, and shares the fascinating natural and cultural history of, Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes –two active volcanoes in the 3,600 mile-long Hawaiian archipelago formed entirely by volcanic activity. Yet this amazing geologic resource and U.S. National Park, a 333,000-acre world heritage site and international Biosphere Reserve, is more than the lava formations and by products that set this land aside for future generations. It is the tropical rain forest and the 90% combined endemism of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth, a great outdoor museum of geology and island plant and animal life. this delicate interplay between wilderness and humans is coupled with an active volcanic landscape that is the source of an array of cultural resources that document over 600 years of human lifestyle and activities. Kilauea, and the summit crater - Halema’uma’u- is home to Pelehonuamea, the Hawaiian goddess of fire. she is the lava in all of its form; she is the steam and the source of life. her presence is everywhere; she is the heartbeat of Hawaiian culture, an indigeneous people forever linked to this land. Today the beat of the drum and chant on the edge of the crater remind us that the link to the lands is not removed from the Hawaiian culture. It is very much alive.

As managers of a world renown protected volcanic site we are challenged not only with protecting and preserving 70 million years of volcanism, 330,000 acres of protected area, two of the world’s most studied and active volcanoes, and over 14 thousand archaeological sites. We also protect the intangible,the airspace and the natural quiet are part of the link between this volcanic landscape and the culture.

We have an enormous responsibility at Hawaii volcanoes to incorporate the rights of indigenous people and traditional knowledge into our management and visitor use planning and strategies. it is the host culture that invites us to learn and steward the Park on their behalf.

This presentation will share some of the ways in which the Park has integrated the culture into the physical sense of place so that our visitors leave with an understanding of the core values of Hawaiian culture and respect for the power of Pele.

CURRENT CHALLENGES FOR THE VOLCANIC PROTECTED AREAS IN CHILE Diaz Gacitúa, Miguel Ángel Chile’s National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), Department of Conservation of Biological Diversity SUMMARY. Chile has 2,000 volcanoes, of which 500 are active on the mainland, seven active in Antarctica and 10 active on its offshore islands, as well as a number of submarine volcanoes (Gonzalez-Ferran, 1995). There are 100 state-protected natural areas, of which 36 are National Parks (NP), 49 National Reserves (RN) and 15 Natural Monuments (NM) (equivalent to nearly 19% of the country = 15 million ha).

Within or nearby these protected areas stand 28 of the country’s 38 most dangerous existing volcanoes. Currently, the most intense volcanic activity occurs between 33 and 46 degrees south, an area that receives 55% of all visitors to protected natural areas (nearly 1 million people annually). Biogeographically, volcanism has been a driving force in the modelling and development of the country’s flora, fauna and landscape. The current eruption of the Cordón Caulle has affected 25% of the surface of the PN Puyehue (107,000 ha). According to Lara (2010), in only 20% of Chile’s active volcanoes has the potential hazard been studied. In 2009 CONAF and SERNAGEOMIN signed a collaboration agreement to monitor active volcanoes, conduct risk mapping and train staff. As well, it is strategic partner of that service in the first national geopark Chile (Schilling et al. 2010) conducted in the PN Conguillio and Tolhuaca, and four nearby national reserves. The major challenges in improving the management of Chilean volcanic landscapes in protected areas are as follows: a) increase the planning, monitoring and management of volcanic risk; b) increase the development of geotourism activities; c) development of institutional responsibilities for post-eruption ecological restoration; d) train staff to incorporate volcanism into the management of parks and nature reserves.

PROTECTED VOLCANIC LANDSCAPES IN THE UNITED STATES Casadevall, Thomas U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado, USA The United States of America is endowed with a variety of geographically and geologically varied landscapes including many which contain unique volcanic features, particularly in the Western United States, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Many of these volcanic landscapes are managed and protected by Federal, Tribal, State, and local government regulations and land use traditions. Some of these features are preserved within National Parks and Monuments administered by the National Park Service such as Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, and Yellowstone National Park.

A number of volcanic landscapes lie within National Forest lands administered by the US Forest Service such as Mount Saint Helens, Mount Shasta, and Mount Spurr volcano, as well as on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Important volcanic landscapes are also found on lands administered by various Native American Tribes such as Shiprock, and Mount Adams, as well as by local State and County level agencies and by private foundations. In general, land management agencies do not make special provisions for protected volcanic landscapes.

The variety and abundance of volcanic landscapes in the United States makes them a rich source of year-round tourist attention as well as scientific interest.

Many of the protected volcanic areas in the United States contain volcanic features which are geologically active to this day. Activity may include active fumaroles, solfatara, and hot springs, as well as seismic activity related to subsurface movement of magma and hot fluids. Several of the volcanic landscapes contain erupting volcanoes such as Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, Mount St. Helens volcano, and active volcanoes in Alaska. Often the effects of these active volcanoes are felt far beyond the boundaries of the protected area itself. To better understand and interpret the volcanic activity and to anticipate future activity, it is important that managers of volcanic protected areas work closely with geologists to monitor closely the activity in protected volcanic areas.

SMARTPARKS - PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR SMALL ISLAND PROTECTED AREAS: THE CASE OF THE ISLAND OF PICO (AZORES, PORTUGAL) Lima, Eva1; Calado, Helena2 & Fonseca, Catarina2 1. University of the Azores, Geosciences Department; 2. CIBIO-Açores - Research Center for Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Department of Biology, University of the Azores; Due to their geographical context and their morphological and ecological characteristics, small islands – including the ultra-peripheral European regions and the Small Island Developing States – are more vulnerable to phenomena that, in a serious and potentially irreversible way, threaten and jeopardize sustainable development and, above all, nature conservation.

The true effectiveness of protected areas in terms of their goals regarding nature conservation and their continuance has been widely studied and questioned. Planning and management systems in protected areas have consequently to be adjusted to their specific context to ensure maximum effectiveness in territorial organization and the fulfilment of inherent objectives.

The paradigm orienting the declaration, classification, planning and management of protected areas has changed in recent decades and priority is now given to compatibility between human activities and conservation objectives, with the result that new economic and cultural development opportunities involving stakeholders and local population associated with protected areas have appeared.

Protected areas should be seen as integrative elements that are indissociable from islands’ ecological structures, and reflect the direct and indirect effects of planning policies and territorial management measures on the entire island.

In what way should the management and planning systems of protected areas on small islands be structured and operated to face up to the threats and challenges to already fragile and vulnerable insular ecosystems that endanger future sustainable development?

This is the central problem which the SMARTPARKS Project intends to solve.

This project is currently being implemented on Pico Island (Azores), a volcanic island of 445 km2, of which 35% of its surface area is protected.

MANAGEMENT IN VATNAJÖKULL NATIONAL PARK Baldursson, Snorri Vatnajökull National Park The objectives and management of Vatnajökull National Park are based on the Vatnajökull National Park Act no. 60/2007 and described in detail in the Vatnajökull National Park Management Plan, adopted in February 2011. One major objective of the park, besides nature conservation and public recreation and education, is to engage local communities in the management of the park and to ensure that these communities enjoy economic spin-off benefits from the park.

This second objective is reflected in the park’s management structure. The park is divided into four regions, Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western, and each has a park manager, assisted by one or two permanent employees and five to ten rangers in summer. A head office in Reykjavik provides central management and administrative services.

Regional advisory boards assist the park managers in each region. These consist of representatives from stakeholders, including the local municipalities and regional travel, recreation and conservation bodies. The four chairpersons of the regional boards, together with two representatives from the Ministry for the Environment and a representative of national conservation associations, make up the Board of Directors of Vatnajökull National Park. Thus, the park has a co-operative management structure that enables local citizens to play a major role in decision-making.

Six visitor centres are planned for the Park: three are already operational, the newest having been opened in the summer of 2010 at Skriðuklaustur in the Eastern Region.

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION IN FOGO NATURAL PARK (CAPE VERDE): STAKEHOLDERS IN LOCAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Chouraqui Floriane1, Texier Pauline1, Lavigne Franck², Perrillat-Collomb Anais2, Rom Cadag Jake3, Gaillard Jean-Christophe4 1. University of Lyon 3 Jean Moulin, CNRS UMR 5600 Environnement, Villes et Sociétés, 2. University of Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, CNRS UMR 8591 Laboratoire de géographie Physique,

3. University of Montpellier III Paul Valéry, CNRS EA 3766 Gester ; University of the Philippines Diliman.

4. University of Auckland, School of Environment A consensus has arisen in many practical handbooks, as well as in many scientific publications and international directives, regarding disaster risk reduction (DRR) and biodiversity protection. Institutional policies should improve the integration of everyday socio-economical factors as a way of improving local people’s livelihoods, and take into account the development of people at risk in protected areas. Secondly, it should adopt context-appropriate measures to develop local communities’ capacities to face up to risks and include them in local resource management processes for greater sustainability. Thirdly, it should be based on true collaboration between the different levels of action (institutional and upper-level stakeholders, local stakeholders and communities) to merge scientific, technical, political and local knowledge. Although ideas may be well-established on a theoretical basis, practical difficulties still remain in the development of this type of collaboration. The MIAVITA European research Program aims to (1) improve analysis of the vulnerability and capacities of communities living on volcanoes by developing a methodology adopting a multi-factor approach, and (2) promote collaboration between researchers, practitioners and communities. Participatory 3D mapping methodology has been applied, along with focus-group discussions with communities and stakeholders.

This communication aims to analyze the case of resources and risk management in Fogo Natural Park, where a community of almost a thousand people live. First of all, it describes the complexity of the context of the Fogo Natural Park from a natural, socio-economic and political perspective. The strongest constraints are farming and animal husbandry activities, which most families rely on, although others benefit from the park through tourism. Secondly, it analyzes the feasibility of more community-based management in face of serious economic pressures and political stakeholders in the field of land tenure. Finally, it discusses recent opportunities for dialogue on protected area management and how institutional stakeholders try to integrate local initiatives, sustainable management, ecosystem services and more secure livelihoods in the face of volcanic risk.

MOUNT ST. HELENS NATIONAL VOLCANIC MONUMENT, USA – 30 YEARS OF MANAGING AN ACTIVE VOLCANIC LANDSCAPE Authors: Mulder, Thomas1, Driedger, Carolyn2, and Casadevall, Thomas2 1. U.S. Forest Service, Amboy, Washington, USA 2. U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, Washington, USA Mount St. Helens volcano erupted on May 18, 1980 after nearly a century and a half of dormancy. The 9 hour eruption claimed 57 lives and dramatically changed the shape of the volcano and blew down or scorched 230 square miles of forest. . From 1980 through 1985, and again from 2004 to 2006, the volcano experienced additional, smaller eruptions which required careful study, monitoring, and mitigation.

In 1982, the President and the US Congress created the 110,000 acre National Volcanic Monument to be managed for research, recreation, education, protecting local communities, and to allow natural recovery processes to unfold.

Responsibility for managing the new monument was entrusted to the U.S. Forest Service. Management of the Monument is guided by a Comprehensive Management Plan which defines management goals based on resource values, sensitivity to disturbance, and opportunities for recreation, education, and interpretation. From 1985 to 1997, two visitor centers and an observatory were constructed, a state highway was extended into the devastated area, viewpoints, trails, and a climbing program were developed along with programs for recreation, interpretation, education, and science.

Geologic studies at the Monument have focused on monitoring of unrest at the volcano and are carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Cascades Volcano Observatory.

Other partners provide extensive ongoing ecological studies, examining and documenting the recovery of flora and fauna in the changed landscape. These researchers train monument staff, encouraging accurate interpretation of current conditions for Monument visitors.

Among the challenges faced by the Monument over the past 30 years have been swings in federal funding and changes in public expectations. To meet these changing expectations and the legislated mission of the Monument, the Forest Service places an emphasis on working with partners to deliver services and an emphasis on providing unique experiences rather than on increasing infrastructure.

THE TECTONO-VOLCANIC ENSEMBLE OF THE CHAÎNE DES PUYS AND LIMAGNE FAULT: LOCAL WORK AND CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENTS FOR THE SHARED MANAGEMENT OF A HERITAGE SITE.” Olive-Garcia Cécile 1; MONTOLOY Christine 2; MICHELIN Yves 3 1. Local Council of the Puy-de-Dôme 2. Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Natural Park 3. University of Clermont-Ferrand Since 2007, the local Council of Puy-de-Dôme, the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Natural Park and the University of Clermont-Ferrand have worked together on an application for the tectono-volcanic ensemble of the Chaîne des Puys and Limagne fault to be considered for the World Heritage List. Along with the justification of its outstanding universal value, local institutions have had to draw up a dedicated management plan of this inhabited geological site. This area has been occupied since Paleolithic times by people who have successively altered the topography according to their economic, social, political and cultural needs. Human interactions are both long-standing and numerous in this landscape. Today, most of the land is privately owned and so both monitoring and protection require collaboration between interested parties and the local population. This is why economic and social factors are as important as natural and ecological parameters in the drafting of a balanced and participatory management plan that can confront the main threats and risks to the area, which include the growth of built-up areas, the integrity of volcanic forms and widespread tourism. The upkeep and restoration of summer pastures is the greatest challenge for landscape legibility and implies the definition of a global policy that will have to tackle questions such as land status, animal husbandry, shepherds’ living conditions and forestry management. It seems that to protect this natural geological landscape local institutions will first have to look after local inhabitants and stakeholders.

SPECIAL PROTECTION PLAN: LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE NATURAL PARK Puig Oliveras, Francesc Xavier , Mallarach, Josep Maria La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

The Special Protection Plan is the main instrument in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park employed in managing land and resource use.

Its structure is enshrined in Catalan Law 2/1982 pertaining to the protection of La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone. It is the Catalan government that has to approve any such plan: the first Special Plan was passed in 1994, while the current Plan came into force in 2010.

The current Plan embraces an area of 15,309 ha corresponding to the current extension of the Natural Park. The Plan also contemplates three types of external areas of influence in the case of hydrological questions, ecological connectivity and risk of forest fire.

Landscape is a central element in the methodology of the new Plan and is especially important in planning and management in the Natural Park. The main objectives of the Plan are as follows: · To bring up-to-date and complete planning mechanisms in the Park, as well as its management capacity and its ability to respond to new demands made on it. · To complete the Park’s role in the local territory via appropriate interaction with different aspects of land use and urban planning. · To increase the protection and awareness of the region’s geological heritage, especially the outstanding volcanic features. · Guarantee the conservation and use of local biodiversity, and preserve the quality of the landscapes. · Foster a model of rural development based on environmental quality and improvement. · Redefine the public-use model in accordance with the commitments assumed by the Park when signing the European Charter of Sustainable Tourism.

To be applied effectively and with the necessary flexibility, the Plan also requires a number of practical instruments such as the Master Plan for Use and Management (Plan Rector de Uso y Gestión).

VOLCANIC HAZARD EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT IN MONOGENETIC FIELDS: THE NEED FOR SPECIFIC EARLY-WARNING ALERT SYSTEMS De La Cruz-Reyna, Servando

Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, C. Universitaria, Coyoacán, México D.F., Monogenetic volcano-forming eruptions are less frequent than the eruptions that form polygenetic volcanoes, and less information exists about their precursory signals and their relevance. However, over geological time, monogenetic volcanism has formed numerous large clusters of volcanoes that are frequently home to densely populated human settlements or form part of protected areas. Unlike the hazard estimation for polygenetic volcanoes (probability of an eruption of a given dimension over a determined period of time), hazard estimation in monogenetic fields has an additional spatial dependence. In polygenetic volcanoes the static (stationary or time independent) estimates of hazard are based on the eruptive history of a volcano and the distribution of eruptive magnitudes and intensities, while the dynamic (time dependent) hazard is determined from the detection and interpretation of relevant precursory signals recorded by dedicated monitoring devices. However, hazard estimates in monogenetic fields should take into account the time distribution of volcanic births and the age-dependent spatial patterns of monogenetic cones; nevertheless, there are no established protocols for precursor recognition that allow for a dynamic updating of static hazard estimates. This process would require the development of ad-hoc protocols that would be somewhat different from those used for polygenetic volcanoes because of the spatial uncertainty of the birth-eruption site and the scarcity of information on the relevance of precursors.

Some general considerations and suggestions are made here regarding the definition of such protocols based on the experience obtained from about a dozen worldwide eruptions that have taken place in historical times.

GROUNDWATER MONITORING IN THE LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE NATURAL PARK: CONTINUOUS RECORDING SINCE 1994.

Bach, Joan; Bach, Albert; Zarroca, Mario.

Dpt. Geologia. UAB. Since 1994, La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park has run a programme for managing the groundwater in the Quaternary aquifers formed by the interaction between volcanic activity and fluvial processes. One of its aims is to control variations of in water storage by measuring the piezometric level. During the first stage (1994–2005), a network of points was estab-

lished, which provide 2–4 specific measures for each monitoring point throughout the year.

From 2005 onwards, a number of electronic recording gauges for autonomous registration (DIVER) of water levels have begun to be been installed to obtain records on a continuous time-scale.

The aim of this poster is to present the results from the DIVER recordings, which will allow us to accurately assess the evolution of the water table of the aquifers in different locations and under different operating conditions. To date, the recording gauges installed have enabled us to distinguish an area with a predominantly agricultural use of water (La Vall d’en Bas) and another with industrial use and supply in the urban zone of Olot. Both show in detail the dynamics occurring between episodes of replenishment and water extraction and in this way the oscillating water table can be interpreted far more easily than with non-continuous measurements.

The recording gauges have allowed us for the first time to monitor the evolution of the piezometric level, thereby facilitating the analysis of aquifer dynamics. The data gathered has helped quantify water resources and therefore sustainable groundwater management, and has increased knowledge of the potential dynamics of aquifers in volcanic hazard assessment.

THE SEVEN SCORIA CONES OF THE AGUAS ZARCAS VOLCANIC FIELD (COSTA RICA) E. Duarte, E. Fernández, Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI). Universidad Nacional.

Seven scoria cones are clustered together in the north of the Platanar-Porvenir volcanic complex in Costa Rica. Widely dispersed in a rectangular area of some 48 km2, they are aligned NNW along two main axes. Together, based on their basal diameter, they cover less than 5 km2.

Aguas Zarcas is a small city (45 km, ESE of Arenal volcano) from which this volcanic field takes its name. Surrounded by extensive pasturelands and pineapple fields, the cones stand out from the flat evergreen rural area. Standing at 200 to 700 m a.s.l., they project from between a few dozen to several hundred metres above the surrounding land. Despite typical tropical rainfall in the area, all cones are well preserved, in part due to their basalt and andesito-basaltic

composition (45-49 SiO2) (Malavassi, 1991; Martens 2004). Commercial quarrying in several of these cones have exposed proximal structures.

Due to the focus by Costa Rican researchers on other active volcanoes, full studies of these structures in the Aguas Zarcas field have been neglected. Stratigraphical work and mapping of deposits need to be carried out in the near future in order to create a tourist circuit and fully preserve the volcanoes.

Our intention is to study management experiences with this kind of volcanic features in similar settings in order to be able to replicate the situation in Costa Rica. This presentation discusses all seven mentioned cones and uses digital and aerial photographs (individual and collective).

EVALUATION OF THE STRATEGY FOR GEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT IN LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE NATURAL PARK. Planagumà, Llorenç 1 2 ,Emili Bassols2 1. TOSCA, serveis ambientals d’educació i turisme,sl - Educational services of the Volcanic Region of La Garrotxa Natural Park 2. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.

Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

The strategy was developed from 2000 onwards and first put into practice in 2004. In the period 2004–12, work and planning aimed at different goals continued. Evaluating and implementing action strategies as and when they were proposed has proved effective in the ongoing success of the project. In the eight years since its birth, its achievements and the areas in which improvements are possible have been closely monitored. These results serve as a reference that help steer management strategy towards more effective future research and action plans in the fields of conservation and divulgation.

The most important proposals in this strategy can be summed up as follows: the cataloguing and conservation of the Park’s most important geological sites, the study and inventory of ephemeral outcrops and work on infrastructures, the monitoring of research in the area as a means of improving local geological knowledge, and the diffusion of this knowledge in society via articles and other printed material.

This guarantees that the Park is appreciated by visitors and creates a greater respect for the volcanoes amongst the local population.

THE CONSERVATION OF THE GEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE NATURAL PARK Bassols i Isamat, Emili

THE USE OF SOIL MAPS IN MANAGEMENT IN LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE NATURAL PARK Bassols i Isamat, Emili

La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park is the best preserved volcanic landscape in the Iberian Peninsula and since 1982 has been protected as a Natural Park (IUCN Category V). This Park covers an area of 15,309 ha and protects 43 volcanic cones and 20 or so lava flows. Within the protected area, there are also 28 natural reserves (1,180 ha) that offer greater protection to the region’s main volcanic features. In all, 96.7% of the protected area is private property.

Around 50,000 people live within the Park, 2,000 of who live in scattered farmsteads and 48,000 in villages and towns. The built-up areas do not form part of the Park itself and any local urban growth necessarily implies a reduction in the Park’s surface area. This is a good example, and perhaps the one with the greatest environmental and ecological repercussions, of the importance of ensuring that the conservation of the natural environment is compatible with the development and maintenance of human activities in this protected natural area.

The soils of La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park and of the neighbouring agricultural areas (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula) have been mapped at a scale 1:25,000. The mapped area (18,694 ha) is updated whenever the Park’s surface area changes. The map is the product of the interest shown by and the work of a number of different institutions. Work began in 1997 when an agreement was signed between the Directorate General of Food Production and Industry of the Catalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment and the Natural Park. Another important actor in the project was La Garrotxa Consortium for Environmental and Public Health, the body that conducted all the soil analyses. The methodology used was based on the criteria contained in the Soil Taxonomy System 2006 developed by the US Soil Survey Service. The singularity of some of the Park’s soils, was evaluated and depicted on the soil map. Using a Geographical Information System aspects of both basic and applied research were combined, which enable multiple uses to be made of the available information. Thus, this practical focus gave rise to a series of different maps: a) thematic maps (surface stoniness, rock outcrops, texture of surface horizons, slopes, types of textures, soil rooting depths, calcium carbonate content and types of drainage); b) maps of evaluation (agricultural capacity – ‘prime farmlands’); and c) maps of singular soils (those originating from volcanic material with andic soil properties that make them unique in the Iberian Peninsula). The information generated has been used in a number of management and planning documents, the most significant of which is the Park’s Special Plan, which defines its forest and agricultural soils in terms of the presence or otherwise of singular soils (3,5762 ha in the Park). In the case of the agricultural soils, this legally binding document has to date been very useful in restricting the expansion of certain built-up areas in the Park boundaries.

To satisfy this complex conservation challenge to the Park’s natural heritage in general and its geological values in particular, a series of procedures for all proposed activities has been established.

a. Improve knowledge via basic and applied research. b. Set up analytical instruments such as GIS c. Develop restoration and maintenance programmes d. Minimize the effects of the impacts of human activities on geological features. e. Investigate ways of encouraging cooperation between the Park’s management team and the local population. f. Evaluate the results obtained. g. Provide the general public with information about the Park’s activities In order to rethink and prioritize actions in each of these fields, in 2000 the document A Strategy for the Management of the Volcanic Landscape of La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park was drawn up.

A PROPOSAL FOR RECONCILING MINING ACTIVITIES AND CONSERVATION IN THE CAMPO DE CALATRAVA VOLCANIC REGION, SPAIN. Sarrionandia, Fernando2; Carracedo, Manuel1 Y Mendia, Miren1

AN APOLOGY OF QUARRIES: THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENTIFIC ADVANCE IN PROTECTED VOLCANIC AREAS. Carracedo, Manuel1, Sarrionandia, Fernando2 y Mendia, Miren1

1. Dpto. de Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, UPV/EHU, 48940 Leioa 2. Dpto. de Geodinámica, Facultad de Farmacia, UPV/EHU, 35017 Vitoria-Gasteiz

1. Dpto. de Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, UPV/EHU, 48940 Leioa 2. Dpto. de Geodinámica, Facultad de Farmacia, UPV/EHU, 35017 Vitoria-Gasteiz

The Campo de Calatrava volcanic region (CCVR; Ciudad Real, C Spain) consists of over 200 volcanoes and is one of the most important volcanic regions in Europe. These volcanoes emitted basic and ultrabasic lavas, strongly alkaline, typical of continental intraplate magmatism, over a period ranging from 8.7 million to 6,500 years ago. Some volcanoes in CCVR exhibit geological elements of great scientific and didactic value (geomorphology, petrology, volcanology), although many are endangered by mining activities that work the volcanic deposits.

However, paradoxically, the mining facilitates the advancement of scientific investigation and its subsequent implementation as new, unknown outcrops are discovered, sometimes of exceptional value and otherwise inaccessible. Strategies aimed at promoting the development of legal figures and agreements are needed and should be directed towards making mining projects more compatible with the preservation of the geological heritage. In this way, the conservation of the outcrops of special scientific and didactic interest will be guaranteed, including those discovered during mining activity.

In the same vein, we support actions such as those initiated by the mining group Lafarge, the Association for the Development of Campo de Calatrava and the Group GEOVOL (Univ. Castilla - La Mancha) whose aim is to redesign the San Carlos mine (Granátula de Calatrava and Valenzuela de Calatrava) to reconcile its activity with the preservation of the highly interesting outcrops of the Cerro Gordo volcano.

This initiative should be extended to other volcanoes in danger of being destroyed.

In this communication, we present a number of exceptional outcrops that, in our view, should be protected for their great scientific and didactic interest. A good example of a potentially exploitable volcano in the CCVR is the volcano of Cabezo Segura.

At all levels of the educational system protected volcanic areas are exceptional settings for carrying out activities that study the natural environment since they facilitate analysis, discussion and the interpretation of the products of volcanic activity.

Knowledge is undoubtedly important in protected volcanic zones: the more that is known about volcanic products and formations (age, geochemistry, mineralogy, geodynamic meaning, etc), the greater the presence of the volcanic zone in magazines and specialized journals. It thus becomes far more attractive for educators and students interested in the knowledge of the natural environment.

Deep scientific knowledge of volcanic edifices requires excavation and the currently discredited exploitation for industry and construction of rocks is an essential and sometimes the only possible tool to this end. Mining activities help advance scientific research and the exposure of unknown outcrops is an important didactic resource that otherwise would have been inaccessible. Likewise, thanks to quarrying many outcrops have been exposed and greatly enrich the value of the geological heritage of many sites (e.g. Croscat, Fruiz).

Although it may seem contradictory, in certain protected volcanic areas mining activity that is planned and appropriately controlled by the managers of these spaces could generate wealth and expose previously unknown outcrops, which could promote new scientific research, progress in the geological knowledge of the area and extend or renew possible geotourism attractions.

AGRICULTURAL STRATEGY IN LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE NATURAL PARK Perramon Ramos, Bernat Bassols Isamat, Emili La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

Unlike in most of the other protected areas in Catalonia, agriculture is a highly important feature of La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula). In all there are almost 150 farms within the Park’s boundaries (2009) and in over 90% animal husbandry is the main occupation, although many do in fact combine arable farming with stock-raising.

Farmed land in the Natural Park occupies 3857 ha (25.2% of the Park’s total) and is dominated by extensive croplands and pastures for grazing cattle. Market gardens and orchards are also present.

Agricultural activities play an essential role in protecting the territory by conserving agrarian habitats and singular landscapes combining volcanoes, forests, crops and pastures. Thus, the Park’s board has undertaken a number of different projects with arable and cattle farmers whose aim is to maintain, improve, revitalize and diversify farming in a way that is compatible with the conservation of the Park’s natural values. These projects, which constitute the Park’s agricultural strategy, can be grouped into three different areas: 1. Encourage the use of agrarian and animal species that favour the conservation of local agrobiodiversity. This line of work includes activities whose aim is to conserve threatened agrarian and animal species by means of their continued use and commercialization and local awareness of their existence.

2. Foster the practice of environmentally friendly farming techniques. The Park supports and encourages techniques that conform to good agricultural and environmental practices.

3. Conservation of the territory, current landuse and the landscape via the consolidation of agricultural activities. This will bring greater cohesion to and help promote the agricultural sector as a way of strengthening the relationship amongst local farmers and between local farmers and the Natural Park.

AGRICULTURAL FERTILIZATION IN SOILS FORMED FROM VOLCANIC MATERIALS IN LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE NATURAL PARK Perramon Ramos, Bernat (1) Pujol Planella, Xevi (2) Domingo Olivé, Francesc (3) Boixadera Llobet, Jaume (4) 1. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

2. La Garrotxa Consortium for Environmental and Public Health (SIGMA).

Carretera de Riudaura s/n. 17800. Olot.

3. Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture IRTA-Mas Badia.

La Tallada (Girona) 17134 4. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya. Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 612-614. 08007 Barcelona La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, La Garrotxa Consortium for Environmental and Public Health, the Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture and the Catalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment have worked in collaboration since 2007 on improvements in agricultural fertilization in La Garrotxa. The aims of this collaboration are as follows: to optimize the use of nitrates used in agriculture, to minimize their negative effects on the environment (mainly the contamination of groundwater by nitrates) and to guarantee the quality and productivity of local agricultural land.

An appropriate system of fertilization must take into account the characteristics of the local agricultural system, the crops that are grown there, local climatic conditions and the type of soils. Over 90% of farms in the Natural Park are dedicated to livestock farming; this means that, on the one hand, a large part of local crop production is for use as fodder and, on the other, that the organic materials generated by livestock activities are available to fertilize crops. In all, 25.2% (3,857 ha) of the Natural Park is occupied by agricultural activities, mainly the extensive cultivation of wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), oats (Avena sativa), ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), rape (Brassica napus), sorgum (Sorghum bicolor) and maize (Zea mays). The Natural Park’s climate is influenced by its proximity to both the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees. The climate is

predominantly humid Mediterranean in type, with annual precipitations of around 1,000 l/ m2, concentrated above all in spring, summer and autumn.

The Park’s volcanic soils occupy an area of 3,572 ha, of which 1,100 ha are used for agriculture. The fragility and conservation interest of these volcanic soils means that it is important that appropriate agricultural activities, adapted to soils’ characteristics and which take into account the other above-mentioned features, be practiced in the area.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE NATURAL PARK Batiste Triadó, Mireia1 Canal Pagès, Engràcia2 Casadellà Murlà, Noemí2 Grabolosa Sellabona, Montserrat1 Navarro Pérez-Dolz, Muntsa1 Pijuan Coromina, Joan1 1. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

2. TOSCA. Environmental Educational and Tourism Services In 1998 La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park became the first protected natural area in Spain to be awarded the ISO 9000. This has meant that all information management is now carried out via flow charts, pre-determined procedures and routines, manuals and models that are reviewed periodically in order to optimize necessary tasks and save time.

The Park deals with a wide variety of different types of information: • Basic information about the Park for the visitors to its four information centres.

• More specific information designed for use in environmental education by the school groups that use the park’s pedagogical services.

• The Documentation Centre, with both on-line and real resources, offers personalized attention to all types of users – Park staff, collaborators and researchers – as per its mandate.

• The cartographic library and the GIS database, mainly used in matters pertaining to the environment, is used in the Park’s day-to-day

planning and management, above all by the Park’s technical team but also by other bodies and researchers.

• The information contained in all the administrative documents received or generated by the Park is available for consultation by the management team and local people (in accordance with the public nature of each document).

• The database of contacts set up by the Documentation Centre has been proposed as a pilot project in knowledge management.

Key words: Quality; Information management; Information centres; Documentation Centre; Service charter; Pedagogical services; GIS, Maps, Archive; Administrative documentation; Databases; Knowledge management; La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.

GIS VULCÀ: THE GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM OF LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE NATURAL PARK Pijuan Coromina, Joan La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

The GIS VULCÀ was set up in 1994 as a project run by the managers of La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park (Catalonia, NE Iberian peninsula) in collaboration with the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications, and the Catalan Cartographic Institute. It was one of the first projects in Catalonia to contemplate the use of a geographical information system in a protected area. Today, the GIS is a fully operational and essential tool in management and planning in the Natural Park. It is structured around four key areas: technology, knowledge, geographical data and environmental models. · Management of geographical data: the capture, collection, control, storage and creation of applications to facilitate the use of these data · Cartographic management: updating, maintenance and creation of new layers, e.g. geological, vegetation, fauna and landscape maps). · Territorial analysis: study and analysis of data and generating new results and cartographic databases.

路 Public access: providing public access to cartographic resources and the data contained in the GIS using, for example, map servers, web downloads and DVDs. These lines of work aim to improve information management, to facilitate the updating of data and existing maps, to provide easier access to stored data. Better knowledge of the territory well help improve Park management and, at the same time, enable us to gain experience of a tool that may be exportable to other protected areas.

TUESDAY 22

VOLCANOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN PROTECTED AREAS Marti, Joan Group of Volcanology, SIMGEO (UB-CSIC), Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain Volcanological research is a fundamental need to fulfill the knowledge and dissemination of the contents of protected areas. The number of tourists visiting protected volcanic areas is growing every day and are one of the essential elements for the dissemination of the values of such areas, thus significantly contributing to their conservation. The study of geological and volcanological contents of a protected volcanic area is necessary to obtain the basic information that will allow visitors to understand the reasons why this area should be maintained and protected and to realise its natural beauty and uniqueness when compared to other similar environments. Also, the volcanological research is critical to assure a correct territorial planning and land use in protected areas, in particular in those including private terrains (e.g.: natural parks), and also provides the basic information required to perform hazard and risk assessment in active volcanic areas. Unfortunately, not all protected volcanic areas have the background knowledge on their geological and volcanological values necessary to satisfactorily accomplish all these tasks. Therefore, a lot more effort is still required from the scientific community to convince managers and administrators of protected areas about the importance of knowing their geological and volcanological values in order to guarantee their conservation. Debate forums such VOLCANDPARK will certainly contribute to accomplish such necessary task.

VOLCANIC RESOURCE AND HAZARD INVENTORY: PROTECTED VOLCANIC AREAS MANAGED BY THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Walkup, Laura; Santucci, Vincent; Wood, Jim; Connors, Tim; Casadevall, Thomas United States National Park Service (US-NPS) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) The United States (US) National Park Service (NPS) manages 397 parks and monuments in the US and several other areas (e.g. Pacific Islands and Virgin Islands). From the 1916 Organic Act, the US-NPS “purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by

such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” A number of these lands include prominent volcanic landforms such as Mount Rainier (Washington) and Yellowstone (Wyoming-Montana-Idaho). Many National Parks contain volcanic features that are less iconic, but volcanologically significant nonetheless. Many are also culturally significant; for example, Devil’s Tower (Wyoming) is important to several Native American groups and many native legends are associated with this volcanic icon. Some of the volcanic parks are also listed as World Heritage sites, such as Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii).

The US-NPS is constructing an inventory of volcanic resources and hazards for managed lands, which will be integrated with a US-NPS geologic feature database. We are undertaking this inventory in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and utilizing their extensive library and knowledgeable staff.

In many volcanic parks, collaboration occurs between NPS and USGS volcanic observatories, as well as with nearby academic institutions. The inventory is important in the effort to identify significant scientific and educational values, develop a program to monitor site conditions, and ensure appropriate management.

It will also provide managers and interpreters with insight into new management and teaching strategies based on what is being done in parks with similar features. The inventory will provide a better picture of the diversity of resources in parks and could identify gaps in the range of features represented within the US National Park System.

ICELAND’S VOLCANIC HERITAGE Ari Trausti Gudmundsson Volcanic Theme Parks Consultant (Iceland) For its size, Iceland is one of the most active volcanic areas in the world. It is also noted for an unusual variety of volcanic phenomena and landforms. Many volcanoes are glaciated and there are both rift zones with oceanic type volcanism and lateral volcanic zones with continental type volcanic activity, which increases the variety of volcanic features that are present.

Studies have revealed an interaction between a powerful hot-spot and plate-spreading on a larger scale. Some 30 volcanic systems have been identified. This paper presents an overview of the volcanic activity on Iceland and addresses the efforts being conducted to develop national parks, protected areas and geoparks.

The first geopark was inaugurated in 2011

and the first volcano park is currently being planned. The Icelandic nation is small and annually receives about 700,000 foreign tourists.

Many questions regarding the country’s volcanic heritage are still to be resolved.

SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF PERMIAN, MIOCENE AND PLIOCENE VOLCANIC ROCKS IN THE BOHEMIAN PARADISE GEOPARK Rapprich Vladislav Czech Geological Survey The Bohemian Paradise Geopark covers an area of multifarious geology in NE Czech Republic.

The landmarks of this area include remnants of a number of volcanoes. In a relatively small area of extinct volcanoes, many processes associated with mafic monogenetic volcanism can be studied and shown to the public. The volcanic activity in the area of the Geopark consisted of two episodes. In the Permian, olivine basalt to basaltic andesite magmas erupted in a post-orogenic intermontane basin. The field of monogenetic volcanoes consisted of maars, scoria- and spatter cones. Emitted lavas were emplaced in both subaerial and subaquatic conditions. One of the spatter cones dammed a stream; subsequently, lava flowed into an ephemeral lake and pillow-lava facies were created.

The intra-plate alkaline magmatism (basanite and olivine nephelinite) from the Miocene to the Pliocene produced a series of monogenetic volcanoes, which penetrated Cretaceous marine or Permo-Carboniferous continental sediments and erupted in various ways. The eruptive style was strongly influenced by the geological setting and paleoenvironment. Strombolian eruptions occurred where well-drained sandstones dominated. Surtseyan eruptions producing tuff cones dominated where marshes and shallow lakes formed upon claystones and marlstones.

The intercalation of variable sediments in the Permo-Carboniferous basin created conditions for phreatomagmatic eruptions leading to the formation of a maar crater, later filled with a lake. The youngest volcanoes in the Geopark date from the Pliocene. The earliest deposits of the Prackov Volcano were deposited by a phreatomagmatic eruption. Subsequently, the volcanic activity became drier and the eruptive style changed to Strombolian. Changes in the grain-size of pyroclastics and the amount of xenolithic material can be easily observed in the deposits. The Kozákov volcano produced an around 12-km-long lava flow. The lava is fairly thin on the slopes, but thickens to 40 m where

it filled in a paleo-valley. Several rootless craters were found where the lava covered watersaturated gravels.

THE INTERNATIONALLY IMPORTANT VOLCANOES OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA – THE OBJECT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND PROTECTION Olga A. Chernyagina1, Olga A. Girina2, Elena M. Nenasheva3 1. Kamchatka Branch of Pacific Institute of Geography FED RAS, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 2. Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FED RAS 3. Nature Park “Volcanoes of Kamchatka” The system of specially protected natural territories in Kamchatka includes extensive volcanic areas with the rank of reserve, natural park and wildlife reserve. In 1996, these territories were declared human heritage areas and included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The history of the study of volcanism in Kamchatka dates back around 300 years. The first information on hot thermal springs and volcanoes is found in the first Russian scientific monograph Description of the Earth of Kamchatka

by Stepan Krasheninnikov, written in 1741. Since the mid-twentieth century, the study of volcanoes and geothermal springs has been carried out systematically using modern methods. Tephrachronological research has restored a history of fifteen active volcanoes in Kamchatka.

Scientists continuously monitor the 10 most active volcanoes and predict many powerful explosive eruptions. Catalogues of the volcanoes and the geothermal springs of Kamchatka are currently being developed.

The originality of its volcanic landscapes and volcanic processes became an argument for the creation of a number of specially protected natural territories in Kamchatka. In the twentieth century, four major volcanic disasters occurred in Kamchatka: three territories modified by these disasters are located in Klyuchevskoy and South Kamchatka Natural Parks. The Valley of Geysers and a number of other large geothermal systems were also included in the specially protected territories in Kamchatka.

Development of a system of specially protected natural areas in Kamchatka and modern international cooperation has provided a new impulse for the study of unique volcanic areas in this peninsula and has stimulated the development of interdisciplinary research.

CENOZOIC VOLCANISM IN THE FRENCH MASSIF CENTRAL: ONGOING RESEARCH ACTIVITY IN A PROTECTED VOLCANIC AREA OF GREAT SCIENTIFIC VALUE Laporte Didier1, Médard Etienne1, Devouard Bertrand1, Boivin Pierre1, Condamine Pierre2, Hardiagon Manon2, Thiéry Régis2 1. Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, ClermontFerran.

2. CNRS, UMR 6524, IRD, Clermont-Ferrand.

The Cenozoic volcanism of the French Massif Central (FMC) comprises several fields of different ages such as the Cantal and Mont-Dore stratovolcanoes and the Chaîne des Puys volcanic range in the Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d’Auvergne. The prime scientific interest of this volcanism is that it is a modern and well-exposed example of continental alkaline magmatism, which is poorly studied in comparison to magmatism related with subduction zones, mid-ocean ridges and deep mantle plumes (ocean islands and the so-called large igneous provinces). In addition, the Cenozoic volcanism of the FMC has a high scientific value because it provides: - Excellent examples of phreatomagmatism, illustrating different types of interactions between magma and water (aquifers, rivers, shallow lakes).

- A duality of fractionation series, in which the ultimate terms are either silica-undersaturated (phonolites) or silica-saturated (alkali rhyolites).

- World-class deposits of peridotite and granulite xenoliths, which give an insight into the composition of the lower crust and of the upper mantle.

- An association of rare rock-types (carbonatites) and minerals (sapphires and zircons of gem quality).

- Access to the internal structures of volcanic edifices and lava flows owing to erosion and human activity (quarrying).

In order to better understand continental alkaline magmatism from the melting stage to the eruption, we use a combination of experimental magmatology, physicochemical modelling and case studies on Cenozoic volcanism in the FMC to address three main issues: (1) the melting conditions of the upper mantle below the Massif Central and the importance of volatiles for basalt petrogenesis; (2) differentiation mechanisms from basalts to either phonolites or rhyolites, and the conditions leading to the

growth of gem-quality sapphires; and (3) the ascent and degassing of basaltic magmas and the role of CO2 in driving volcanic explosions in the FMC.

Gem sapphires and zircons from the Cenozoic volcanism of the French Massif Central Médard Etienne1, Paquette Jean-Louis1, Devouard Bertrand1, Ricci Julia2, Boivin Pierre1, Gaillou Eloïse3 1. Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, CNRS UMR 6524, IRD R 163, F-63038 Clermont-Ferrand Cedex, France 2. IDES, Université Paris Sud, CNRS UMR 8148 3. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, California, USA Gem sapphire deposits are commonly associated with basaltic intraplate magmatism. Cenozoic magmatism in the French Massif Central historically provided finds of gem sapphires and zircons, mined periodically from the Middle Ages through to the early twentieth century.

These gems are found in various types of deposits: alluvium or colluvium associated with basaltic volcanism (Riou Pezzouliou, Mont Coupet, Limagne); syenitic enclaves within trachyte (Menoyre); alluvial deposits (of still unknown primary origin) in Mont-Dore. Exceptional recent finds in 2009 provided gem sapphires of up to 5-carat cut stones, found at sites associated with the Miocene volcanism of Limagne.

All sapphires have common features that reveal their magmatic origin: oscillatory zoning and the inclusion of feldspars, zircons, ilmenite and Nb-rich oxides. In some instances (Mont-Dore), melt inclusions are indicative of crystallization within a trachytic melt. The occurrence of zircon inclusions in gem sapphires strongly suggests a common origin for sapphires and zircons.

Zircon U-Pb geochronology indicates that sapphire formation has occurred at various times, from 20.3 ± 0.5 Ma in the Limagne to 2.63 ± 0.04 Ma in the Velay. These ages are consistent with those of the local volcanism and most indicate that gem sapphires and zircons crystallized at depth in magma chambers less than 100,000 years before the volcanism that brought them to the surface. Sapphires and zircons crystallized from trachytic magmas of initial mantle origin, as indicated by oxygen isotopes (ö18O ~ 6 ‰ for the sapphires). Whether these magmas result directly from mantle melting or from the differentiation at depth of basaltic magmas is still a matter of debate. Some of the zircons as-

sociated with the Limagne sapphires found in 2009 indicate ages as old as 32 Ma, shedding light on previously unknown early magmatism associated with the Western European Rift.

Maar crater lakes as exceptional paleontological sites: the Pliocene Camp dels Ninots site (La Selva, Catalonia, NE Spain) Oms, O.1, Gómez de Soler, B.2, Campeny Vallllosera, G.2, Agustí, J.2,3, van der Made, J.4, Blain, H.-A.2, Burjachs, F.2,3 1. Departament de Geologia. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

2. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). Unitat Asociada al CSIC. 3. ICREA. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Universitat Rovira i Virgili.

4. Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC The Camp dels Ninots volcano is part of the Catalan volcanic field (which also includes the Olot volcanic zone) and lies in the depression of La Selva. This depression is bounded by the Paleozoic rocks of the mountains of the Catalan Coastal Ranges and its morphology is determined by two sets of faults orientated ENEWSW and NW-SE. It formed as a result of the distensive tectonics that affected the western Mediterranean for most of the Neogene and Quaternary. This maar volcano is located at the boundary of La Selva basin, at the contact zone between Variscan rocks and continental Cenozoic infill and at a point where there are other volcanoes (e.g. La Crosa de Sant Dalmai).

The tuff ring is fairly eroded and, along with the diatreme, has created a crater of around 500 m in diameter. The sedimentary infill of the upper diatreme took place in a relatively protected environment free from major erosion in anoxic waters at the bottom of the lake, which allowed for the fossilization of most of the biota. Fossils include vertebrates of several sizes, invertebrates and flora, and give an age of ca. 3.2 Ma. Abundant large mammal skeletons in anatomical connection have also been recovered, including bovids, tapirs and rhinoceros. Also, several complete lake turtles, amphibians and freshwater fishes have been found. The site is also very rich in both pollen and macroscopic remains.

Taphonomic evidence from the skeletal remains indicates minimal (if any) weathering. Deposition at the bottom of the lake seems to have taken place in oxygen-depleted layers. Their state of preservation and the uniqueness of these fossil specimens puts the Camp dels Ninots site on a par with other remarkable maar sites such as Messel or Eckfeld (Germany) that have received much more scientific attention.

Volcano Monitoring and Research of Active Volcanoes in National Parks of Hawaii Kauahikaua, Jim US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) has been studying and monitoring Hawaiian volcanoes for 100 years for the purpose of protecting people and property from volcanic hazards. The best way to minimize destruction is to understand how volcanoes erupt and what hazards they pose. This can be done by documenting eruptions and studying the products of past eruptions.

Hawaiian volcanoes offer unparalleled opportunities for research due to frequent activity, ease of physical access, and general safety of eruptions. In the past 100 years, Mauna Loa has erupted 12 times and Kilauea almost 50 including a 29-year ongoing eruptive activity now at two locations. Continuous measurements on Hawaiian volcanoes have allowed development of useful tools to forecast future volcanic activity. Research on the processes leading to eruptions contribute new forecasting methods.

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park includes the summit and most of the rift zones of the two most active volcanoes – Kīlauea and Mauna Loa; therefore, most but not all of HVO’s work is within the park. Haleakalā Volcano, within Haleakalā National Park, and Hualālai Volcano erupt less frequently than Kīlauea and Mauna Loa with 2 or 3 eruptions per millennium.

Cultural associations with volcanism are very strong; Hawaiian chants and stories are full of references to centuries of volcanic behavior that are not tied to a Western calendar.

HVO provides both short-term warnings and assessments and long-term hazard evaluations necessary for proper management of National Parks that include active volcanoes. Lava flows can damage parts of ecosystems and induce wildfires. Emitted gases impact plants. All

hazards affect visitors and employees. HVO’s work supports Park missions of preservation of native ecologies, cultural heritage of the area, geologic features, and visitors.

The study of ephemeral outcrops in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park De Bolós, Xavier1; Planagumà, Llorenç2; Martí, Joan 1; Emili Bassols2 1. Group of Volcanology, SIMGEO (UB-CSIC), Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain 2. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.

Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya The study of ephemeral outcrops is an important tool in the reconstruction of the geology of highly urbanised areas in which increasing construction and occupation of soil make direct observation difficult. In recent years, La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park (NE Spain) has undertaken pioneering activity aimed at studying and cataloguing all new ephemeral outcrops as a means of improving geological mapping and volcano stratigraphy in the area.

An inventory of the geological information obtained from these temporary outcrops, which rapidly disappear under construction sites, as well as from wells and geotechnical boreholes, has collated, analyzed, classified and recorded information in an open-access GIS database for public use. This methodology has provided new data for geological research in the volcanic area and has improved significantly our knowledge of relative geochronology and the scope of the most recent volcanic episodes.

The lake inside the crater is also the world’s only salt-water lake whose chief constituent is sodium carbonate together with a small quantity of sodium chloride. It is surrounded on all sides by a rim formed of blocks of basalt. Captain Newbold believed it to have been occasioned by subsidence, like the Val del Bove, and by a great extrication of gases. However, the presence of impactite glasses points to the meteoritic origin of the crater. One of the recent findings is of magnetotactic bacteria in this lake, which has thrown open the doors to research on life outside the universe. These bacteria are believed to have the ability to orient and migrate or swim along geomagnetic field lines, a behaviour referred to as magneto-axis. Further research possibilities have been opened up by this finding.

The edge of the Lonar Crater is home to several temples and wildlife of interest and thus attracts large number of tourists. There has also been large-scale illegal building in the vicinity of the crater in recent times, which has caused environmental problems. Over the years, sufficient care has not been taken to protect this site, which the Geological Survey of India has declared as a heritage site. Recently, legal steps by heritage activists and a High Court Order have forced the State Government to sanction funds to protect the site, remove the illegal constructions and promote the area as a heritage site.

Contribution of volcanic hazard studies to the enhancement of the geological values of the island of El Hierro Becerril, Laura; Galindo, Inés; Morales, Jose María; Sánchez, Nieves.

Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME)

Lonar Meteorite Crater: protection measures.

Kottapalli Sitharama Murty Inhigeo (Indian) The Lonar Meteorite Crater is a deep hollow or basin in the basalt plateau of the Deccan Basalts, in Buldana District of Maharashtra State, India. The crater is about 300 ft deep and about a mile in diameter. It is said to be the world’s oldest and third largest meteorite crater. A falling meteorite formed the crater around 50,000 years ago and scientists believe that the meteorite is embedded in the ground.

The volcanic island of El Hierro, the westernmost and smallest island in the Canary Archipelago, was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2000. Of all the Canary islands, El Hierro has the largest protected area (60%) in proportion to its size. There are seven Protected Natural Areas (PNA) on the island that include a Rural Park, two Integral Nature Reserves, a Special Nature Reserve, a Natural Monument and two Protected Landscapes. Some of these PNA were declared due to geological and/or volcanological singularities that include the protected landscape of Ventejis, the biggest phreatomagmatic caldera (maar) on the island, and the Natural Monument of Las Playas, which

constitutes one of the first landslides that took place on El Hierro.

Two projects and a PhD thesis are currently being conducted on an evaluation of volcanic hazards on El Hierro. Preliminary results include a geodatabase for volcanic hazard analysis that incorporates stratigraphycal, petrological, geochronological and volcano-structural data.

Part of these data has been used to develop a volcanic susceptibility map. These and other results have been presented to local people during geological guided trips as a way of enhancing the geological and volcanological values of this natural protected island.

During our research, we have come to realize that local people have poor knowledge of the geological elements of these natural areas that are not properly described in tourist information. For this reason, we have identified several areas that could be considered as possible geosites due to their geological-volcanological singularities: these include El Golfo landslide valley, the recent volcanic eruptions of Orchilla and Lajial, and even the San Andres Fault. We consider that the declaration of geosites could enhance the natural and rural tourist attractions on offer on the island.

Evolution of a highly explosive basaltic eruption in Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona (USA) Allison, Chelsea M., Clarke, Amanda B., Pioli, Laura, Alfano, Fabrizio Arizona State University (Allison, Clarke); Université de Genève (Pioli, Alfano) The San Francisco Volcanic Field in northern Arizona sits on the edge of the Colorado Plateau and has been active from 6Ma-present. It contains over 600 volcanoes; alkali basalt scoria cones and five silicic centers. Sunset Crater cinder cone volcano is the youngest eruption in this field, and one of the youngest examples of explosive basaltic volcanism in the western USA. Its eruption in the Holocene was an anomalously large basaltic explosive eruption, consisting of eight explosive phases and three lava flows. The explosive phases vary in size and style; the beginning stages of explosive activity were considerably smaller than later subplinian phases. The Sunset Crater deposit is over six times larger by volume than estimates of typical scoria cone-forming eruptions found in the literature. This historically significant eruption exiled the native Sinagua people living near the volcano to what is now Wupatki

National Monument. It is the subject of a Hopi oral tradition, depicted as punishment for their ancestors’ moral departures.

We are conducting a study that explores shallow and deep processes that may have led to the unusual scale of this eruption. Processes at depth will be investigated by melt inclusion study, while granulometry, componentry, and textural analysis will yield information about shallow processes. We sampled the deposit at 25 locations, and found significant variations among the first five phases from evaluation of juvenile clast componentry. Each phase contains different proportions of red, grey, and iridescent clasts. Generally, phases associated with large volumes and dispersal areas tend to contain larger proportions of the iridescent clasts. The angular iridescent clasts likely represent fresh, rapidly quenched juvenile ejecta, whereas the red and grey rounded clasts may be the result of recycling of the cone or ventfill material. Alternatively, these different clast populations may represent lateral variation in conduit flow conditions.

Environmental Impact of Ash Emissions Armienta María Aurora, De la Cruz-Reyna Servando, Ceniceros Nora, Aguayo Alejandra, Cruz Olivia Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Geofísica Volcanic parks located near active volcanoes are subject to diverse hazards, of which ash and gas emissions are the most frequent. Ash may affect the surroundings of the volcano through direct and rapidly developing events such as pyroclastic flows and surges that can devastate the whole area, or through more moderate impacts such as vegetation blanketing or the release of toxic substances. In the eruptive column, ash mixes with gases and absorbs part of the volatiles. Ash enriched with fluoride and heavy metals and metalloids is a danger to the biota and the evaluation of the potential environmental risk from volcanic ash must be made in appropriate areas. The determination of the concentrations of toxic elements in aqueous leachates constitutes one way of assessing the environmental risk posed by volcanic ash.

The zone comprising the volcanoes of Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl in Central Mexico was declared a Natural National Protected Area in 1947 in light of its unique flora and fauna, and is now known as the Izta-Popo National Park. The deleterious potential effects of ashes on wild

and domestic animals, as well as on vegetation and crops, in the area in and around the park have been evaluated by performing systematic analyses of ash from the ongoing eruptive episode of Popocatépetl to assess environmental risk. Of grazing animals, young cows are the most affected by fluoride-enriched ashes. Small wild mammals are also at risk, above all the volcano rabbit (Romerulagus diaza) and other endangered species. Plants such as maize and pines are some of the most affected plants.

However, the effects of fluoride-rich ashfall on vegetation may be mitigated by factors such as soil pH and Ca and Al content. The determination of fluoride concentrations in ash leachates is a recommended course of action for other parks that may be potentially affected by volcanic activity.

Interaction between Strombolian and phreatomagmatic eruptions in the Catalan Volcanic Field: La Crosa de Sant Dalmai maar Pedrazzi Dario, Martí Joan, Bolós Xavier Institute of Earth Sciences “Jaume Almera”, CSIC, Barcelona Phreatomagmatism is a volcanic phenomenon that takes place in environments where an external source of water such as an aquifer or a surface water body interacts with magma or magmatic heat. The products associated with phreatomagmatic explosions are generally base surges and fallout deposits. Controlling factors such as magma flux and ascent rate, together with regional and local tectonics and the presence of water, are responsible for the eruption style and the resulting volcanic facies and morphology of edifices. The great explosiveness of hydrovolcanism is an important reason for considering the potential hazard of phreatomagmatic eruptions in volcanic risk assessment.

La Crosa de Sant Dalmai maar (Catalonia, NE Spain) is a roughly circular but asymmetrical tuff ring forming part of the Catalan Volcanic Zone. This maar is mostly composed of phreatomagmatic and subordinate Strombolian deposits, being a clear example of the interaction of different controlling factors with local tectonics. Detailed geological mapping and the study of the resulting deposits have revealed the different eruptive phases that occurred during the formation of the Crosa de Sant Dalmai.

The eruptive sequence and the variety of deposits produced a contrast with the compositional monotony of the magma. For this reason,

differences in the eruptive behaviour should be sought in the combined effect of the distinct geological and tectonic characteristics and the different forms of water/magma interaction rather than in changes of magma composition, vesiculation or fragmentation prior to the interaction with the external water source.

HISTORICAL STUDIES OF VOLCANIC GEOCHRONOLOGY IN LA GARROTXA Puiguriguer Ferrando, Marta AXIAL. GEOLOGIA I MEDI AMBIENT SL Several authors have questioned the age of volcanism in La Garrotxa. The first data were recorded by Renaissance historians who confused the 1427 earthquake with the alleged eruptions. Henceforth, work on volcanic geochronology in La Garrotxa was rather scarce.

Nevertheless, from early in the last century onwards there have been periods of more intense research, including geochronology studies of volcanic deposits using stratigrapy, palaeontology, morphology (Bolos, 1925, 1957 and 1985 Bolos, Sole and Sabaris, 1962) and palemagnetism (Guardia, 1964), pollen analysis and a combination of 14C of palaeosol levels and peat sequences. These methods help us to calculate a relative age for volcanic materials. Absolute dating has been applied to some lava flows using radiometric methods: K/Ar and thermoluminescence of plagioclase present in the basalts (Donville, 1973, 1973b; Spider 1983, Guerin and Valladas, 1980; Guerin and Benhamou, 1986) are correlated with the dating of K/Ar and Ar/Ar (Lewis et al, 2000). These studies have provided fragmented data indicating that La Garrotxa volcanic area is recent (between 350,000 and 11,500 years BC) but that its activity has been sporadic. Between 2006 and 2007, La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, Axial Geology and Environment consulting, the Catalan Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, and the Catalan Institute for Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution conducted a study to increase knowledge and determine the date of the most recent eruption in La Garrotxa. This investigation included a 14C analysis of organic matter contained in the palaeosol found under the pyroclastic fall deposits, and assigned an age of 11,500 years to the volcano Croscat. This eruption is currently considered to be the most recent volcanic activity in the Iberian Peninsula.

Definition of San Agustin Volcanic Field (SAVF) in the San Agustín Archaeological Park, Colombia, South America.

Zuluaga-Mazo, Indira; Borrero, Carlos.

Universidad de Caldas, Colombia The San Agustín Volcanic Field (SAVF), located in southern Colombia (South America), is a volcanic fringe that extends in a NE-SW direction into the Upper Magdalena Valley (Huila department). The volcanic field is divided into four sectors according to the clustering of the cones: Argentina-Merenberg, Oporapa-San Roque, San Agustín-San José de Isnos and Acevedo. In the surveyed San Agustín-San José de Isnos sector, there are three types of cones: small shield volcanoes, scoria cones and/or tuff ring-tuff cones, and lava domes. Previously, this volcanic zone was described by some authors only as an alkaline province but now we propose a new formal identification and characterization based on morphologic parameters of the cones using Google Earth images compared with measurements of three recognized monogenetic volcanoes: Paricutín (México), Puy de Pariou and Puy de Côme (France). The volcanic field is not age-constrained by the paucity of geochemical data (which hinders any definition of its tectonic setting) but, rather, by its position behind the Quaternary volcanic arc and it could be a part of the rear-arc that continues into eastern Ecuador.

Many of these monogenetic cones were sacred sites of the indigenous Agustinian culture and today form part of the San Agustín Archaeological Park, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The archaeological remains represented by monumental architecture (humanoid figures and planar stones of the funeral templates and minor tombs) probably date from the sixth century BC. The sculptures were mostly built using pyroclastic flow deposits –ignimbrites and andesitic lava flows. This culture flourished between the second century BC and the first century AC, but suddenly disappeared before the arrival of the Spaniards.

Some authors link this disappearance to a climatic change related to the activity of this volcanic field.

Scientific research and volcanology at the world’s first national park, Yellowstone National Park, USA Lowenstern, Jacob B.1, Hendrix, Christie2, Thomas Casadevall1

1. U.S. Geological Survey 2. Yellowstone National Park In 1872, the U.S. Congress designated over 9000 km2 of Rocky Mountain wilderness as the world’s first national Park. In 1978, Yellowstone was pronounced a UNESCO world heritage site. The region was set aside largely to protect a suite of globally unique geothermal features, including hundreds of geysers and thousands of boiling pools, mud pots and hotspring deposits. Though early scientific surveys recognized the volcanic history of the region, it wasn’t until the 1960s that researchers realized that the region experienced scores of volcanic eruptions during the Pleistocene epoch (approximately the last 2.6 million years). Two “supereruptions” were large enough to blanket much of the North American midcontinent with ash and to affect global climate. Moreover, Yellowstone’s famous geothermal features are a direct reflection of a still-active magma body that causes seismicity, gas discharge, and cycles of ground deformation. Recognizing this, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) was founded in 2001 to undertake research and monitoring.

Though volcanism and geothermal activity were key to Yellowstone’s creation as a park, they are only one aspect of a complex web of resource issues that require attention by park staff. The park has become a national and globally significant wildlife reserve, with key habitat for grizzly bears, wolves, bison, elk, and other species. Invasive species threaten the health of the ecosystem and require active mitigation and ongoing scientific study. With over 3.6 million visitors in 2010, park staff must remain vigilant in ensuring public safety while protecting wilderness values. Local communities seek winter access via over-snow vehicular traffic that requires avalanche control, as well as standards for air quality and noise generation. These many factors create an environment where the volcanic essence of the park is respected, but seldom dominates public discourse.

This balance is also reflected in research permits managed by Yellowstone National Park.

Of the ~200 research projects overseen by the park, only about 10% relate to volcano monitoring with another 15% on hydrology, geology, geochemistry and other topics within Earth sciences. The remaining 75% of research efforts are focused on topics such as wildlife, microbiology, ecology, botany, and archeology. Educational programs reflect similar values, although with the creation of YVO and a new visitor education center, focus on Yellowstone’s volcanic legacy has garnered renewed interest.

Long-term cooperation between the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service in Lassen Volcanic National Park, northern California, USA Muffler, Patrick, And Clynne, Michael, Casadevall Thomas U.S. Geological Survey Since 1976, earth-science investigations by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP) have contributed extensively to the scientific literature and have provided information essential to management and interpretation of LVNP resources. Key to these investigations is a geologic map of LVNP and vicinity, part of a spatial database covering 5,783 km2 of the southernmost Cascade volcanic arc. This database, which includes 1,200 major-element chemical analyses, 200 isotopic ages, and many paleomagnetic determinations, serves as the basis for numerous petrologic, geochemical and isotopic investigations by USGS and academic researchers.

Derivative products and discoveries of particular importance to LVNP include: • Detailed chronology of the 19 and 22 May 1915 climactic eruptions from the summit of Lassen Peak.

• Date and detailed history of the 1666 eruption of Cinder Cone.

• Discovery that the acid, fumarolic areas within the Park are the surface expression of a deeper, large hot-water system.

USGS scientists have interacted continuously with LVNP staff in geologic interpretation and resource management: • Analyzing the impact of changing fumarolic features on roads and boardwalks, most recently along the Park road at Sulphur Works.

• Serving as expert witness for the National Park Service in legal proceedings that determined the value of the geothermal resource in private land added to LVNP.

• Providing education to LVNP naturalists concerning geologic and hydrothermal features.

• Publishing four-page Fact Sheets that present the volcanic and hydrothermal features to the public.

• Assessing volcanic, hydrothermal and landslide hazards.

• Helping LVNP develop interpretive materials (road signs, trail guides, videos and the new Visitor Center).

Key to successful USGS-LVNP cooperation has been long-term continuity of scientific and personal interaction, leading to effective communication and respectful trust.

An Inventory of National Park Service Fossil Tree Molds Preserved Within Lava Flows Santucci, Vincent; Walkup, Laura; Casadevall, Thomas; Wood, Jim; Conners, Tim; National Park Service and United States Geological Survey Tree mold impressions are trace fossils that develop within lava flows. They form when trees engulfed by molten lava are not immediately consumed by the heat. When lava contacts the trees, their moisture content is released as steam, accelerating cooling and allowing time for the tree to form an impression in the lava. Surface details such as bark patterns are sometimes preserved, even after the tree has decayed or succumbed to the lava’s heat.

There are two basic types of tree molds; true tree molds and “lava trees”. While true tree molds are impressions or hollow molds within the lava flow, “lava trees” are vertical features rising above the surface of the flow. Lava trees are usually formed by accumulation of airborne lava spatter onto a standing tree during eruption. Spatter partially buries the tree, leaving behind a thin conical shell of lava with the impression of a tree trunk on the interior surface.

Lava trees can also form when a lava flow engulfs a standing tree and forms a shell when the flow drains away.

An inventory of tree molds documented within U.S. National Park Service areas revealed their occurrence in the following parks: Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (Idaho), El Malpais National Monument (New Mexico), Lava Beds National Monument (California), Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii) and Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (Hawaii). This inventory supports opportunities for public education and management of these rare and scientifically valuable paleontological resources. Charcoal from incinerated trees can often be dated. Tree molds can indicate the type of vegetation thriving prior to eruption, which is useful in habitat and climate reconstruction. Direction, speed and thickness of a

flow can even be established by looking at the structure of lava trees within it.

HOW VOLCANIC MORPHOLOGIES INFLUENCE CLIMATE IN LA GARROTXA VOLCANIC ZONE Zapata I Coll, Jordi Museu dels Volcans. Museu Comarcal de la Garrotxa, Olot One of the main characteristics of the climate of La Garrotxa volcanic zone is the fact that it is one of the most humid and rainiest areas close to the Mediterranean in the Iberian Peninsula.

The causes of this singular climate are diverse and are principally associated with its latitude (42.10’59,51”) and its proximity to the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea; thus, both Atlantic fronts and Mediterranean low-pressure systems affect the area. Also present are environmental aspects operating at local scale associated with complex relief features, including the presence of closed, depressed valleys that encourage summer convection and favour the build-up of an important surface layer of humidity that, in turn, influence the forest cover of the area.

Volcanic activity has had a significant effect on landscape structure and an important influence on local climate. The presence of volcanic cones and lava flows affects the local climate in ways that alter circulation patterns, the permanence of air at ground level and, to some extent, temperatures and precipitations.

In a number of local valleys such as La Vall d’en Bas and La Vall de Bianya the damming of rivers by lava flows led to the formation of flat lacustrine plains, which have subsequently silted up. These depressed morphologies accentuate phenomena associated with continentality and thermal inversions. As well, the presence of volcanic features in geographically strategic places has isolated the zone from the moderating influence of maritime environments. The headwaters of the region’s major river, El Fluvià, have been closed off and its upper course flows northwards, unlike any other river in the valleys on the southern side of the Pyrenees.

Science and environment in Catalonia.

The declaration of La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park (1975-1982).

Gil Farrero, Judit

Centre d’Història de la Ciència (CEHIC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona In 1982, the volcanic area of La Garrotxa, a region that had aroused the interest of scientists in light of the discovery of its volcanoes two hundred years ago, became the first natural area declared by the Catalan Parliament. Thus culminated seven years of mass campaigning in defence of the natural heritage led by a group of local scientists with strong emotional ties to the territory in which they had been born and lived. This paper discusses the activity of this group and its views on the management of natural resources. It analyses three texts published by Josep Maria Mallarach, who later became the first director of the Natural Park.

This paper places local scientists’ protectionist discourse within the framework of the international debate on conservationism and preservationism, two models that respond to different perceptions of nature and its relationship to human transformations. As well, this presentation situates this public campaign in the context of trends in the protection of natural areas in Spain and Catalonia.

Rockfall monitoring by Terrestrial Laser Scanning of the basaltic rock face at Castellfollit de la Roca (Catalonia, Spain) Royán, M. J.1, Abellán, A.2, Vilaplana, J. M.1 1. Depart. of Geodynamics and Geophysics, Faculty of Geology, University of Barcelona, C/ Martí i Franquès S/N, 08028 Barcelona.

2. IGAR Institute of Geomatics and Risk Analysis, Faculté des Géosciences et de l’Environnement, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.

We present in this study the results of rock-face monitoring at Castellfollit de la Roca (Catalonia, Spain) using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS), a relatively new, remote 3D sensing technique.

The pilot study area consists of an almost vertical, 50-m high basaltic cliff formed by the deposition and erosion of two lava flows. The upper part of this formation is characterized by a hexagonal jointing pattern, on which stands the village of Castellfollit de la Roca. Current slope evolution consists of frequent rockfalls, causing a retreat of the basaltic rock face, which may endanger the houses located at its edge.

Consequently, the aims of the study were: (a) to detect and characterize rockfalls during the monitoring period; (b) to establish a cliff retreat rate.

The slope processes (mainly rockfalls) were studied through a change-detection technique based on a sequential comparison of TLS datasets. Our data acquisition using TLS datasets consisted of high-density 3D point clouds acquired over a period of 22 months (from March 2006 to January 2008) at a temporal rate of around 3-5 months. Datasets were completed with new data acquisition in May 2011 that aimed to reflect a high magnitude event that had occurred a few weeks before. We detected three main types of mass movement in the monitoring period: (a) the detachment of a few basaltic columns with magnitudes below 1.5 m3; (b) the detachment of groups of columns with magnitudes of 1.5 to 150 m3, e.g. the April 2007 event m3; and (c) the occurrence of slab failures with magnitudes higher than 150 m3, as occurred in April 2011 (850 m3). Failures are clearly episodic, with periods of low rockfall frequency alternating with high magnitude events. Our results, together with the study of historical records, enabled us to estimate a mean detachment of material of 46–91.5 m3 year−1.

The application of TLS techniques considerably improved our understanding of rockfall phenomena in the study area and constitutes currently one of the most important aspects of hazard mitigation in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.

Pyroclastic density currents from Teide-Pico Viejo (Tenerife, Canary Islands): implications for hazard assessment García, Olaya Centro Geofísico de Canarias del I.G.N The Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcanoes constitute one of the potentially most active volcanic complexes in Europe (in a political sense) but have traditionally been considered to be nonexplosive and not to represent any significant threat to the island of Tenerife. However, the reconstruction of their eruptive record is still far from complete and better knowledge of their volcano-stratigraphy and physical volcanology is still required if we are to undertake a comprehensive hazard assessment of these volcanoes. We conducted a detailed field investigation of the northern side of Teide-Pico Viejo, a poorly known area, and identified several deposits originating from explosive eruptions of phonolitic magmas. Herein we report for the first time the presence of density current deposits, including ignimbrites and block and ash deposits, in the Holocene eruptive history

of the Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcanoes. We discuss the characteristics of these deposits, their eruption mechanisms and their implications for hazard assessment in the Teide-Pico Viejo complex.

Stratigraphy, chronology and the paleoenvironmental setting of the maar lake at Camp dels Ninots (Caldes de Malavella, NE Spain).

Oms, O.1, Carrancho, A. 2, Villalaín, J.J.2, Jiménez-Moreno, G.3, Burjachs, F.4,5, Expósito, I.4, Barrón6, E., Campeny Vall-llosera, G.4, Gómez de Soler, B.4, Agustí, J.4,5, van der Made, J.7, Calvo Rathert, M. 2 1. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geologia.

2. Departamento de Física, Universidad de Burgos.

3. Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Universidad de Granada.

4. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). Unitat Asociada al CSIC. 5. ICREA. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Universitat Rovira i Virgili.

6. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME). Museo Geominero, 7. Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC Lakes developed in maar craters are ideal sites for the preservation of detailed paleoenvironmental records. The occurrence of laminated sediments provides detailed records of climatic and ecological changes. The Pliocene Camp dels Ninots maar (Catalonia, NE Spain) contains a remarkable succession of very well preserved fossils. The sedimentary infill of the upper diatreme has two sedimentary domains, one relatively deep and the other shallow, which generally correspond to the central and marginal areas of the crater, respectively.

A well drilled in deep sediments (75 m) has been used to carry out detailed studies of the site’s sedimentology, palinology, rock magnetism and magnetostratigraphy.

Observed cyclic changes in lithology correlate with variations in magnetic susceptibility and pollen. The latter reveals the existence of alternating humid and dry periods. Dark clays correspond to low magnetic susceptibility and humid periods (probably related to higher water levels, greater productivity and organic sed-

imentation in the lake). Conversely, the lighter clays correlate to high levels of magnetic susceptibility (lower water levels) Magnetostratigraphic data reveals a succession dominated by normal polarity, except in the uppermost metres, where reverse polarities are found. These polarity zones could be correlated to the standard geomagnetic time-scale due to the abundant terrestrial fauna from the Camp dels Ninots. This fauna belongs to the MN15MN16 biostratigraphic units (around 3.2 Ma).

Thus, the normal and reverse polarity zones identified could be correlated with two different polarity reversals (polarity changes), for example the reversal at 3.11 Ma (between C2An.2n and C2An.1r) and at 3.33 Ma (between C2An.3n and C2An.2r). In other words, the age of the upper part of the well (where the main mammal fossil remains can be correlated) may belong to the Kaena or Mamoth reverse plarity suchrons, both within the Gauss normal polarity chron.

The chronology of the sedimentary succession also gives a minimum age for the crater formation.

Vatnajökull National Park: an interplay of fire and ice Baldursson, Snorri Vatnajökull National Park (Iceland) Established in 2008, Vatnajökull National Park is Iceland’s newest protected area. With a total area of roughly 13,200 km2, it is by far the largest national park in Iceland one of the biggest in Europe. Key features of the Park include the ice cap of the Vatnajökull Glacier (8,200 km2) and ten active volcanic systems within and beyond the ice cap. The interplay of fire and ice is the single most important force shaping the nature of the park.

fissure swarm lie below the Vatnajökull ice cap.

Most of this volcano’s historical eruptions have occurred within this area as small sub-glacial eruptions. However, eruptions in 870, 1477 and 1862–1864 occurred along long fissures beyond the ice cap and produced large amounts of tephra. Öræfajökull, yet another central volcano with a glacier-filled caldera, towers over the rest of the Vatnajökull ice cap. Its steep outlet glaciers form a magnificent alpine landscape and is Iceland’s highest peak at 2,110 m. Historically, two eruptions are known to have occurred (1362 and 1727). The 1362 eruption devastated settlements below the volcano and is considered to be one of the largest eruptions in Iceland’s history.

Geophysical insights into a monogenetic volcanic field Barde-Cabusson Stéphanie1, Gottsmann 2 Joachim , Martí Joan1, Bolós Xavier1, Camacho Antonio3, Geyer Adelina1, Planagumà Llorenç4, Ronchin Erika1, Sánchez Anna1 1. Institute of Earth Sciences “Jaume Almera”, CSIC 2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol 3. Instituto de Astronomía y Geodesia (CSICUCM) 4. Tosca, Environment Services of Education.

Casal dels Volcans Olot The understanding of the temporal and spatial distribution of monogenetic volcanoes and the probability of future activity in monogenetic volcano fields is a subject of increasing interest in volcanic risk assessment for local populations and essential infrastructures.

Grímsvötn, within the ice cap, is Iceland’s most active central volcano. It has erupted at least sixty times in the last 800 years. A powerful geothermal area within its caldera causes melt water to accumulate under the ice, which overflows every few years, triggering floods along the river Skeiðará to the south. The latest eruption in 2011 was one of the largest ash-producing eruptions to have occurred in Iceland in the last 100 years.

Here we report a set of new geophysical observations regarding the distribution of subsurface structures associated with monogenetic volcanism in the Garrotxa Volcanic Field (NE Spain). Part of the Catalan Volcanic Zone, this Quaternary volcanic province is associated with major European rift systems and contains the most recent and best preserved volcanic edifices in the Catalan Volcanic Zone, with 38 monogenetic volcanoes identified in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.

The Bárðarbunga–Veiðivötn system is the largest and second most active volcanic system of Iceland, with 23 eruptions known from historical times. The central volcano, Bárðarbunga (2,009 m), and some 60 km of the 190-km-long

We conducted new gravimetric and self-potential surveys in order to improve the knowledge base of the contextual relationship between local geology and the spatial distribution of the monogenetic volcanoes. The main finding of

this study was that the central part of the volcanic field is underlain by low-density material, which can partly be interpreted as the root of the surface manifestations of volcanic activity.

We observed a gravity low just NW of the Croscat volcano, the youngest volcano in this zone, as the dominant low-density feature in the area, where preferential ground water infiltration along a fault or fissure has been identified by the self-potential measurements. Both gravimetry and self-potential data show that volcanism appears to be controlled by NE-SW and NW-SE tectonic structures roughly perpendicular to the main structural limits bounding the study area to the north and south. An important outcome of this joint effort is the assessment of the potential for volcanic reactivation in the area, which will have major implications for the understanding of the current geodynamics of this zone. Until now, detailed geophysical data, needed to support decision-making processes for disaster preparedness and response, were lacking.

Multiparametric geophysical investigation of the inner structure of La Crosa de Sant Dalmai maar (Catalan Volcanic Zone, NE Spain) Bolós, Xavier.1, Barde-Cabuson, Stéphanie.1, Pedrazzi, Dario.1, Martí, Joan.1, Casas, Albert.2, Himi, Mahjoub.2, Lovera, Raúl.2 1. Group of volcanology. Institute of Earth Sciences “Jaume Almera”. CSIC. 2. Economic and Environmental Geology and Hydrogelogical Group Department of Geochemistry, Petrology and Geological Prospecting. Faculty of Geology, University of Barcelona La Crosa de Sant Dalmai volcano is one of the most representative volcanic edifices in the Catalan Volcanic Zone (NE Spain). It consists of a well preserved maar-type structure, 1.5 km in diameter, which was excavated in the contact zone between a hard and a soft substrate formed by Palaeozoic granites and Quaternary gravels, respectively. In order to infer the uppermost inner structure of this maar, we performed a multiparametric geophysical study including gravimetry, magnetometry, selfpotential and electrical resistivity tomography.

The results obtained, together with a field geological revision and a 15 m probe from a borehole drilled inside the maar crater, provide a detailed picture of both the post-eruptive maar infill sequence and of the uppermost part of the maar-diatreme structure, which sheds light on its origin and subsequent evolution. It is

worth mentioning that the original tuff ring has suffered little erosion and degradation, which means that this maar is much younger (probably Holocene) than was once thought.

Monitoring groundwater quality in La Garrotxa Llongarriu Reixach, David Anglada Esquerrà, Moisès La Garrotxa Consortium for Environmental and Public Health SIGMA Olot La Garrotxa Natural Park Volcanic Zone began to monitor the quality of the groundwater within its protected area and other nearby hydrologically linked areas in 1994. Relatively high levels of nitrates were detected in some areas, above all in the agricultural area of La Vall d’en Bas, near the Natural Park. Ten years later, six town councils decided to declare their municipalities as Areas Vulnerable to Nitrate Contamination, that is, areas in which there is a risk that agricultural infiltration or run-off is causing or could cause in the future nitrate contamination.

This declaration was a preventative measure since the nitrate levels that were detected do not in fact exceed prescribed levels. In 2006, La Garrotxa Consortium for Environmental and Public Health (SIGMA) signed an agreement with the Catalan Water Agency (the public body in charge of water management in Catalonia) whereby this latter body would take on the task of monitoring local groundwater. This move led to the establishment of a new monitoring network consisting of 78 stations located throughout La Garrotxa (735 km2). As a result, the following observations have been made: (a) no significant changes in tendencies in nitrate concentrations were found; (b) the highest nitrate levels are still to be found in agricultural areas (above all in La Vall d’en Bas); (c) there are high nitrate concentrations in monitoring points outside the Vulnerable Areas.

In recent years the following projects have been carried out: Installation of lysimeters in agricultural areas Inspection and control of slurry control measures.

Participation in the Plan for Improving Agricultural Fertilization in Girona.

These actions aim to improve knowledge of how nitrates contaminate and to reduce as much as possible their concentrations in the region’s groundwater.

PHREATOMAGMATIC DEPOSITS FROM THE CROSCAT VOLCANO Poch, Joan1 2; Climent, Ferran1; Gual, Gemma1 1. GEOSEI, SCP (Geological Consulting Services) 2. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) This work presents the results of the study completed as part of the Ciutat d’Olot Natural Sciences Scholarship, 2005. Lying on the pyroclastic mantle of the volcano Croscat there are deposits, to date little studied, that consist of materials – neither particularly deep or extensive – connected to the phreatomagmatic episodes that are visible in the outcrops along a valley, Torrent de Can Bosquet, north of the village of Santa Pau. Vulcanology already employs general theoretical models that characterise this type of activity on the basis of the facies distribution; however, the lack of continuity in outcrops makes this task difficult. The main objective of this research process focused on the study of the connection between the facies of these outcrops and their evolution, in alignment with the emission centre, in order to obtain a qualitative approach to the hydromagmatic activity of the volcano Croscat.

The study of the facies from the turbidite systems has also resulted in the creation of models capable of predicting accurately internal sediment distribution. Based on the analogy between the turbulent flows of phreatomagmatic eruptions and turbidite systems, the research tools for the turbidite facies have been applied to the methodology for studying the volcaniclastic facies. A characterisation of the facies according to their distance from the emission centre and their relative position in the flow were obtained.

PARC NOU IN OLOT, CATALONIA, SPAIN Llongarriu Castañer, Marissa Volcano Museum. Museu Comarcal de la Garrotxa. Olot.

Parc Nou (New Park) is an estate that came into the possession of the city of Olot (Catalonia, NE Spain) in 1932. It was opened to the public as a municipal park in 1943 and sits atop a small lava knoll. The region’s abundant rainfall ensures that this volcanic substrate is extraordinarily fertile and nurtures lush vegetation. The park covers 3.5 ha and houses the headquarters of the Volcano Museum, as well as an information centre and the offices of the La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, along with numerous recreational areas, a Botanical Garden and a meteorological station. The Olot Botanical Garden is like an additional room to the museum and is one of the few such gardens in which the natural vegetation is preserved.

Of exceptional interest is its pedunculate oak wood (Quercus robur), with majestic trees over 250-years old and 25-m tall, accompanied by centuries-old box and holly trees.

In recent years, Parc Nou has undergone several enlargements that have provided room for a garden of medicinal plants. As well, there is now an area of 80 allotments, which are leased out to individuals, most of them retired, who want to grow their own food. The pedunculate oak grove has been enlarged on former croplands and trees and shrubs have been planted.

Parc Nou is a highly prized and small – but intensively studied – ecosystem. The Volcano Museum encourages partnerships with organisations and scientists who conduct research on flora and fauna. We have monitored bat and several vulnerable plant species in the Botanical Garden. Likewise, several studies have been conducted in the woodland and restoration projects have been undertaken aimed at ensuring the conservation of this outstanding site.

Stratigraphic and paleocurrent field data were coherent with the hypothesis regarding the origin of the deposits related to Croscat. However, the levels of correlation established made it possible to describe the changes in some distinctive facies that characterised the spatial distribution of deposits from the pyroclastic mantel of Croscat, but were insufficient for defining the scope of each facies and the full track of the associated genetic facies.

Hazard assessment at the La Garrotxa volcanic field (NE Spain) Bartolini, S., Martí, J, Riera, E., Planagumà, Ll., Sobradelo, R., De Bolós, X., Pedrazzi, D., Geyer, A

The very few existing outcrops and the high risk that they could disappear as a result of agricultural activities makes the application of geoconservation policies recommendable.

Institution the author represents: Group of Volcanology, SIMGEO (UB-CSIC), Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain

In this contribution we present the guidelines to conduct a short-term and long-term volcanic hazard assessment at La Garrotxa Volcanic Field (NE Spain). The research is based on the application of probabilistic methods to estimate volcanic susceptibility and eruption recurrence, and simulation models to reproduce eruptive scenarios based on the characteristics of the most representative recent eruptions. Volcanic hazard maps and scenarios are obtained using a GIS-based tool (VORIS-2, Felpeto et al., 2007). Volcanic hazard assessment is necessary to avoid loss of human lives and property and it may become a difficult task to be undertaken in those areas without historical volcanism and with very long recurrence periods, due to both the lack of geological and geophysical information and the difficulty to convince politicians and managers that this may be a real problem.

Hazards maps may help to territorial planing in these areas and are also necessary for managing any eventual crisis. The hazard assessment conducted at La Garrotxa Volcanic Field has revealed how vulnerable this area could be to the effects of an eruption of similar characteristics than the last ones occurred in the same volcanic zone.

Touristic impact on monogenetic volcanoes of the southern Puna Petrinovic, Ivan A., B. Boltshauser And S. Guzmán CICTERRA (CONICET-UNC) A group of Quaternary monogenetic volcanoes in the Argentinean Puna are having an enhanced tourism impact. In the Puna plateau, south of 24ºS about 500 monogenetic volcanoes spread across the Puna plateau. In every case, small edifices of 50-300 m height are well preserved. Deposits in cone slopes are unstable and crumbly, as they are composed of lapilli sized fragments of scoriae and fluidal fragments of molten lava ejected from the vents.

In spite of the arid climate of the Puna, erosion crevasses built in the flanks of the cones vary from10 to 20 m depth. The country rocks slope at the base of each monogenetic edifice are 5º to 10º and the morphological characteristics of each cone, are ruled by their physical properties (and the chemical composition). Characteristic slopes of cones change from 30 to 35º. Often, the crater rims have elliptic shape with NW and NE trending longer axis; usually the cones are horse-shaped due to westward breaching. The most fluid lavas streamed as far as 9km and the maximum volume calculated for single eruptions is 0.7 km3.

The friable nature of the cones plus the increasing touristic potential of the surroundings (Llullaillaco volcano mostly known for its mummies, future roads, salt-lakes, culture, etc) would result in a potential anthropic degradation of the cones (quarries, 4x4 circuits, trekking ways, etc) and several litoglifos preserved in their lavas and scoriae and other pre-hispanic records of the ancient cultures (Aymara-Diaguita-Calchaquí) will be destroyed. In order to gain into the geological and archeological preservation, the protection of these areas becomes imperative.

THURSDAY 24

Global Geotourism Development: Trends, Issues, Exemplars Dowling, Ross Edith Cowan University, Faculty of Business & Law, Australia Geotourism is the tourism of geology and landscape. It promotes tourism to geosites and the conservation of geodiversity. It also fosters an understanding of earth sciences through appreciation and learning. This is achieved through visits to geological features, use of geo-trails and view points, guided tours, geo activities and patronage of geosite visitor centres. Geotourists can comprise both independent travellers and group tourists, and they may visit natural areas or urban/built areas wherever there is a geological attraction.

The goal of geotourism is to foster tourism development opportunities whilst at the same time ensuring the conservation and /or protection of geoheritage attributes. Over the past decade there have been a number of trends in Geotourism which include its rapid growth, the establishment of a range of Geotourism products, and the inclusion of sound geological interpretation and contributions to conservation.

However, this rapid growth has also brought with it a number of attendant issues. These include the need to place importance on the geological element of Geotourism, the shortage of appropriately qualified and trained interpreters and guides, and the need for greater site management in order to reduce adverse tourist impacts. Discussion is made on how to address these issues and focus on high quality Geotourism attractions and activities.

A number of examples of geotourism are shown from around the world and including a case study of geotourism development in Iceland as well as the Trail of Time geological trail in the Grand Canyon, United States of America.

The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park – a case study Prats Santaflorentina, Josep Maria La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya

The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas is a programme run by the EUROPARC Federation, the umbrella organization of protected areas in Europe. Carefully built bottom-up, the Charter was developed by a European group representing protected areas, the tourist industry and its partners. The Charter directly addresses key principles of the international guidelines for sustainable tourism enshrined in the Convention on Biological Diversity and represents a practical tool for their implementation in protected areas at regional level.

The Charter recognizes that those in charge of protected areas should not work alone in the management of tourism, but rather that all those affected by tourism in and around a protected area should be involved in its development and management. This implies that local authorities, tourist boards and tourist businesses should become actively involved with protected area managers in defining and implementing thorough strategy and action plans for successive five-year periods.

Since 2001, almost one hundred parks in Europe have been awarded the Charter. In 1996 La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park (Catalonia, NE Iberian peninsula) became one of the 10 pilot parks used in the definition process of the Charter and was one of the first seven parks to be awarded the Charter (in 2001), which has been renewed on two occasions (in 2006 and 2011). One of the most important requirements of the Charter is the setting up of a permanent forum involving all the relevant stakeholders in the territory implicated in planning. The local tourist board Turisme Garrotxa has assumed this role in the case of La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.

There is also a second level of the Charter that enables tourist businesses working in collaboration with protected areas to receive individual recognition as Charter signatories; this obliges them to commit to implementing practical applications of sustainability in the running of their businesses. In all, 22 tourist companies have been awarded the Charter in La Garrotxa since 2009.

Geotourism: a new group project in the Geoscience Centre of the UNAM (Mexico).

Aguirre-DĂ­az, Gerardo J.

Centro de Geociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro A new Project entitled Geotourism is being created in the Geosciences Centre of the Mexican National Autonomous University (UNAM). Its aim is to link the geological knowledge of a specific area with tourism and cultural activities to provide basic geological information for culturally important areas, natural monuments and tourist attractions with significant geological features. This information will be provided in several ways, as easy-to-follow booklets and geotouristic routes that can be downloaded from a web site, or as printed material that includes geological explanations and the interpretation of specific sites. Furthermore, the geotourism group will help in the design of explanatory panels to be installed in national parks or tourist attractions. This project will also establish multidisciplinary links with official local, state and/or federal authorities through tourist offices, as well as with local communities involved in providing services such as guides, typical local cuisine, souvenirs and hotels. Mexico has a wide spectrum of opportunities for geotourism consisting of pre-Hispanic and natural monuments, natural parks with impressive canyons and mountain ranges, and a large number of volcanoes or volcanic areas. In volcanic zones there are many possible sites for developing geotourism products or activities such as the volcanoes of Colima, Paricutín, Popocatépetl and Citlaltépetl, the calderas of Amealco, Huichapan and Los Azufres, the maars of Valle de Santiago, Cráter Elegante and Valsequillo, the Baja California peninsula and, lastly, the majestic Sierra Madre Occidental with its many deep canyons.

Snæfellsnes Geopark, Iceland Sigurdsson, Haraldur Volcano Museum, Stykkisholmur, Iceland The Snaefellsnes volcanic zone in western Iceland is a unique, compact and accessible region that is ideal for people interested in volcanic and other geological phenomena. Unlike the other volcanic zones in Iceland, Snæfellsnes is aligned east-west and its structural origin is still an enigma. It consists of three en echelon volcanic systems: Ljósufjöll in the east, Lýsyskarð in the center and Snaefellsjokull volcano in the far west. Plans are under way to devote the entire Snaefellsnes Peninsula to a geopark due to its special relevance to the geology of Iceland.

This volcanic zone was active in the past one million years, the most recent eruptions being about a thousand years ago during the settlement of Iceland in the ninth century AD. Styles of eruptions, magma and rock types and its geologic evolution reflect the entire spectrum of known phenomena in Iceland.

Thus, Snaefellsnes can be regarded as a condensed or pocket-book edition of the whole of Iceland’s geology, which include fossiliferous marine sediments of climatological significance. Snaefellsnes has a rugged terrain along its main axis, but a road circumnavigating the Peninsula provides ready access to all the major volcanic features.

The Volcano Museum in the town of Stykkisholmur, on the north side of the Peninsula, is an important resource for understanding the geology of Snaefellsnes and provides guided day-tours around the entire Peninsula. Future development of the Snaefellsnes volcanic zone as a major tourist destination is in the pipeline, with emphasis, for example, on raising local awareness of the significance of the area, the development of more tourist facilities, the marking of trails and the creation of a web site.

Azores Geopark Project: geotouristic potential Lima, Eva1; Nunes, João1, & Costa, Manuel2 1. University of the Azores, Geosciences Department; 2. Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e do Mar/ Parque Natural da Ilha do Pico The Azores archipelago, consisting of nine volcanic islands, is located in the North Atlantic Ocean at the triple junction of the North American, Eurasian and Nubian tectonic plates. The 27 major volcanic events that built the archipelago over the last 10 million years exhibit a wide geodiversity and have generated a unique landscape that has been changed by the Azoreans since the settlement of the islands in the middle of the 15th century.

The Azores Geopark project is based on the international relevance of the islands’ geological heritage, their scientific, scenic and educational value and, simultaneously, the existence of a rich biodiversity and a remarkable cultural heritage, and represent the foundations for the implementation in the territory of sustainable development policies. These policies are focused on the promotion of the economic development of the territory taking into account its

environmental importance via both geotourism and nature tourism.

Geotourism in the Azores is a truly new product and several Azorean rural tourism houses and tourist companies already offer a wide range of experiences that include walking trails, geotours and speleological activities.

There are also several local products that can be considered as true ‘geoproducts’, including gastronomic products (foods, sweets and wines), handicrafts and well-established thematic routes such as the wine, volcanic caves, thermal and walking trails, and routes to lookout points and science and interpretation centres.

Geotourism capacity of Sabalan volcano, NW Iran Seyed Zahed Mousavi1*, Ali Darvishzadeh2, Jali Ghalamghash3, Mansoor Vosoughiabedini4 1. Basic sScience dDepartment, Islamic Azad University(I.A.U), Science & Research Branch, Tehran, Iran 2. Basic Sscience dDepartment, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan Branch, Lahijan, Iran 3. Geological Survey of Iran, P.O.Box131851494,Tehran,Iran 4. Basic Sscience Department, Islamic Azad University, Science & Research Branch, Tehran, Iran Sabalan, a Plio – -Quaternary stratovolcano , with elevation (4,861 m), is situated at 38˚10’ 38˚25’ N and 47˚40’ - 48˚, in 25 Kkm south of the city of Meshkinshahr city, NW Iran (Figure.

1). The objective aim of this paper is to highlight the tourism potential of the Sabalan volcanic region as a touristm resource by means of based on the establishment of new ecotouristic products such as volcanic hiking. Two important groups of forms structures can be identified in Sabalan, namely, features associated with explosive activity, and those connected with an effusive one activity. These include g.Geomorphologic evidence features such as post- caldera domes and lava flows (Fig. ure2), the Sabalan crater (Fig. ure33), Shirvan valley with ignimbrite, ash and pyroclastices components (Figure. 4) , more than 20 hot springs in Sareain and Meshkinshahr to the north and south- east of Sabalan mountain( Figures. 5, 6), a tectonical lake (Figure. 7), particular interesting species of animals and plant habitat(Figure.

8) and also a water fall (fFigure. 9), and have ensure a high capacity potential for international geotourism in the area for international visi-

tors and tourist. The dDiversity of this region, including in terms of its beautiful wonderful geological phenomena, has introduced it as one of make it one of the morst the interesting parts of the Iran, and can be it is hoped that it will be included in the future on recommended as valuable region to be recorded in the Wthe UNESCO Word Heritage lList of UNESCO.

The volcano Tungurahua (Ecuador) as a geopark Liliana Troncoso, Jorge Bustillos, Patricio Ramón Instituto Geofísico, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito-Ecuador.

The volcano Tungurahua stands in the centre of Ecuador, about 130 km south-east of the capital, Quito. It began to erupt in 1999 and continues to do so to date, a fact that has significantly affected local tourism, animal husbandry and agriculture, and changed the lives of the people who live on its slopes or nearby. Although many institutions worked to help local people during the eruption, certain situations have left their mark on the region: mobilizations, evacuations, loss of life, forced migrations, destruction of vital infrastructures (schools, roads, etc.), lack of education and so on.

In light of the growth and improvement of the scientific and technical knowledge in institutions such as the Geophyiscal Institute of the National Polytechnic School, as well as the modernization of the volcano’s monitoring system, the idea of creating a geopark has been mooted. Nevertheless, this project was born out of the need to document and organize information generated by local communities from their experiences in living with an active volcano. This will help the country as a whole and decision-makers to avoid repeating previous mistakes and, above all, ensure that future generations learn and understand volcanic processes and how communities can respond to them.The Volcano Tungurahua Geopark aims to provide both Ecuador and the world with an open-air classroom for learning about volcanoes, and to establish ways of sustainable living for communities that have inherited fertile land in volcanic zones but which live in a context of contingency plans and preventative culture.

The first ideas and the ways of establishing a starting point for the project have been developed through collaboration between members of the GeaChile group whose sole interest is the creation of a Latin-American network of geoparks.

Impacts of the recent eruption of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex in Nahuel Huapi National Park (Patagonia, Argentina) Martínez Fernández, María de la Paloma, Rovere, Elizabeth Ivonne Universidad Nacional del Comahue (Argentina) This study aims to investigate the environmental indicators that will help analyze prospectively the impacts of the eruption of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex. Activity started on 4 June 2011 and covered an large area surrounding Villa La Angostura, a small village located within Nahuel Huapi National Park, with pumice and ash. This protected area is a natural reserve that protects forests and water sources along the Andean range in the southwest of Neuquen province, Argentina.

This contribution is focused on an assessment of the impact of volcanism on nature and on tourism, the main economic activity in the area.

Although the volcano is located in Chile, the prevailing winds (westerlies) ensure that Argentina is more affected by the emission of volcanic ash. The main local and regional impacts are as follows: air quality and visibility, air-navigation, roads, urban services and infrastructure, and hazards for wildlife and human health. Several debris flows and lahars occurred after melting and interbedded ash and snow; subsequently, during the harsh winter that contrasted with a warm dry summer, mudflows have recently been triggered by heavy rains. However, the full extent of this natural phenomenon is as yet not exactly known.

This analysis seeks to make an integrated evaluation of the impacts that occurred after the volcanic eruption in order to establish future guidelines for the management of tourist sites in the protected area. It also highlights a new information plan adapted to the language and knowledge of the community living in the vicinity of the active volcanoes.

THEMATIC VOLCANIC ROUTES FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT ON TENERIFE: towards a stakeholder’s approach to promoting geotourism in a volcanic landscape.

Martinez, E.; Pereira, H. & Suarez J.A. TURISMO DE TENERIFE S.A. (Management Team Tourism Competitiveness Plan “Tenerife: Volcanoes of Life”)

One of the main lines of work of the tourism competitiveness plan Tenerife: Volcanoes of Life was the design of a Great Island Volcanic Route [GIVR] that would articulate the volcanic experience of the landscape by using natural viewpoints as its main elements. The first step in the process was a diagnosis of the island’s viewpoints to estimate the improvements needed for their use a tourist attractions. After a detailed inventory, including every naturalcultural feature with a potential use as an attraction, the GIVR was divided into five main routes with different thematic approaches: (1) Old Volcanic Massif Route; (2) Historic Volcanoes Route; (3) Large Volcanic Movements Route; (4) Abeque Range Route and (5) Explosive Eruptions Route.

All of the routes were based around natural viewpoints, visitor centres and other relevant facilities that would enhance the interpretation of the routes. Each route was designed around roads, with cars being the main tool for following routes. As a marketing tool, we created a specific conceptual scheme around the idea of Collective Volcanoes, which would be relevant to a middle-aged audience with a special nostalgic feeling for landscape exploration. We designed a field hand-notebook and other interactive media for promoting the routes using TICs and web platforms.

The main strength of the GIVR is the stakeholders approach methodology, since we understand the GIVR as a territorial network in which both private and public initiatives can be linked and promoted conjointly in the world tourist market. Thus, we held several workshops on the island to jointly define criteria for involving public and private stakeholders that include, for example, activity tourism services, museums and interpretive/visitor centres, restaurants, hotels and other types of accommodation, wineries, cultural events and other features that will enhance the volcanic experience on Tenerife.

The conservation of the quarry in Volcano Croscat is a good example of sustainable economy.

Planagumà, Llorenç 1 2 ; Emili Bassols2; Esther Canal1 1. TOSCA, serveis ambientals d’educació i turisme,sl - Educational services of the Volcanic Region of La Garrotxa Natural Park 2. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.

Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries,

Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

The exploitation of the quarry in the Volcano Croscat was the main reason why the volcanic zone located in the La Garrotxa was declared a Natural Park.

Thirty years later the region’s geological heritage is no longer in danger and, furthermore, is in good condition and attracts visitors or geotourists from the rest of Spain and abroad. Over 60,000 people a year visit this site and, interestingly, the economic benefit to the region today is much greater than the profits formerly generated by the quarry.

A good example is that the excursions to Croscat give work to more than 20 guides in the area and that annually 15,000 schoolchildren visit the area. Proper training of these guides has guaranteed good-quality guiding services, an increase in the number of visitors and improved geological knowledge regarding the importance of conservation.

This diagnosis is proposed as a means of managing and preserving this site of geological interest and of ensuring that it continues to be an economic asset for the area.

PROJECT GEOPARK CHICHÓN VOLCANO, STATE OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO. Ramos Hernández, S. Alcántara Ayala, I. Centro de Investigación en Gestión de Riesgos y Cambio Climático. UNICACH Instituto de Geografía, UNAM. In the northern state of Chiapas, Mexico, stands the volcano of El Chichón. Its eruptive processes are well known at state, national and international levels, as are the social, environmental and economic effects of the eruption in March 1982.

Chichón volcanic region has a remarkable natural and geological heritage, a wonderful crater, hot springs, deep canyons and is an important area for the Zoque culture. Geotourism to Chichón volcano unites the Zoque people through knowledge and dissemination of their natural resources, the preservation of local biodiversity and the enhancement of all that defines their cultural identity. At the same time, responsible tourism ensures the stability of their main resources – flora, fauna and geology – and, as such, geotourism represents a comprehensive sustainable development

model for communities in the municipalities surrounding the volcano.

An important project involving volcanic-seismic monitoring is being undertaken by the Center of Volcanic-Seismic Monitoring, University of Science and Arts of Chiapas. All tourism projects for volcanic areas must include surveillance mechanisms since volcanoes may become active suddenly and so monitoring plans and signage must be included in the geopark proposal.

This Chichón Volcano Geopark study is being conducted by the Research Center for Risk Management and Climate Change at the University of Science and Arts of Chiapas, in coordination with the Institute of Geography of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Kanawinka Global Geopark: An educative volcanic landscape in southwest Victoria and south east South Australia.

McKnight Joane Australian Geoparks National Committee The Kanawinka Global Geopark is defined by its distinctive volcanic landscape. It covers an immense area of south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia some 26,910 square kilometres, and has developed an impressive program of recreational, geotourism, educational and community arts opportunities.

Kanawinka Geopark is a collection of volcanic and geological sites often close to a small village that did not have the capacity to capitalise on the icon on their doorstep. The Geopark listing enabled these small communities to come together and be a part of a whole i.e. the Global Geopark and have an identifiable and a marketable and very recognisable brand.

This has proved to be most successful as the villages and communities now Brand themselves as part of the Global Geopark and are able to relate across the region and not be limited to their Local government area constraints. This has the potential for economic development of areas and communities hard hit by 12 years of drought and urban drift of population.

Volcano Tourism Risk Perception and Risk Mitigation in Volcanic Environments

Erfurt-Cooper Patricia James Cook University, Australia Volcano tourism is gaining in popularity with people looking for different directions to explore natural areas of interest. The unique features of volcanic landforms, both active and dormant, make them attractive destinations for geotourism. While visits to active and dormant volcanoes provide recreational activities, they also offer an element of adventure. Geotourists fascinated with volcanoes are interested in learning about these unusual and dynamic destinations by observation, commonly preferred from as close as possible. The large amount of volcanic environments worldwide and their geodiversity offer a wide range of outdoor interests including the opportunity for education about geological heritage as well as the significance of these environments in regional culture and history. Their benefits for tourism have been recognised with the development of volcanic National Parks and more recently with the development of Geoparks on a European as well as on a global basis.

Research of tourism based on volcanic environments has shown that this sector is operated as mass tourism in a number of countries (e.g.

New Zealand, Japan, Iceland). The large number of active and dormant volcanoes worldwide presents a great potential for further development of the geotourism sector. In this context it is imperative to make volcano tourism as safe as possible through analysing current safety standards and guidelines already available in a number of areas for local residents and assess them for suitability in the risk management strategies for temporary visitors. One of the main challenges derives from human nature; people often underestimate the potential dangers and overestimate their own abilities. The perceived risk and the calculation of what is an acceptable risk by individual tourists are a significant factor when considering risk prevention strategies. Personal over-confidence and a common under-estimating of remoteness, difficult terrain and adverse climate conditions at the destination are frequently the cause for injuries of volcano tourists.

An urgent need for increased awareness about all relevant aspects of risk mitigation requires a stricter approach in risk prevention with the growing interest in geotourism used as a tool to raise awareness about possible hazards of extreme environments. Although volcano tourism is under-reported to date, in tourist numbers this special interest tourism sector is growing (e.g. volcano study tours are pro-

moted worldwide). The future of geotourism in active volcanic environments may well depend on the recognition and acceptance of necessary global safety guidelines, which need to be universally understandable and made available to every geotourist in potentially dangerous environments in advance.

El Jorullo: a volcano for a new global geopark project (Michoacán, México) Poch, Joan1, Garduño-Monroy, Victor-Hugo2 1. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) Spain 2. Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH) - Mexico In the southern part of Michoacan State lies a natural protected area known as El Jorullo that includes the rural municipalities of La Huacana and Ario de Rosales. It is a Heritage Reserve covering 3051.0994 ha and part is included in the Zicuiran-Infiernillo Biosphere Reserve.

The volcanic field of El Jorullo consists of five volcanic cones aligned along a NE-SW fracture that is related to the subduction dynamics of the Cocos Plate, being the southernmost site of monogenetic volcanism in the MichoacánGuajanato volcanic field (Tarasco Corridor).

The current project to evaluate the geodiversity of this volcanic field highlights the region’s excellent state of conservation, the scientific interest of its geochemistry and, above all, the great educational and geotourism possibilities of this well-documented volcano. It was active from 1759 to 1774 and was studied by the scientist Alexander von Humboldt, thereby becoming the best known volcanic phenomenon in the early nineteenth century and contributing greatly to the development of volcanology as a science.

Since 2007, the geopark project has revealed the potential of this volcanic area to act as a foundation for sustainable rural development based on the management of local geodiversity in association with natural and cultural heritage, above all via tourism (geotourism, ecotourism and scientific tourism), environmental education, local products (crafts, food and agriculture) and scientific research. The project has the support of the scientific community (National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo University), local governments and regional and local entrepreneurs.

The project is maturing slowly and when the territory begins to function de facto as a geopark an application will be made to enter the Global Geoparks Network.

The Cameroon Volcanic Line: landscape, natural hazard and human life Bardintzeff Jacques-Marie 1 2, Wandji Pierre3, Nkouathio David4, Itiga Zenon5, Wotchoko Pierre6, Tchokona Seuwui Dieudonné3, Kagou Dongmo Armand4, Temdjim Robert7, Moundi Amidou7, Chakam Tagheu Pulchérie Julie3, Tsafack Jean Paul Ferdinand3, Mouncherou Oumar Farouk8, Tiabou Feudjio Anicet7, Ntieche Benjamin7, Ziem A Bidias Luc Achille7 1. Univ Paris-Sud, Laboratoire de PétrographieVolcanologie and équipe Planétologie, UMR IDES, Orsay, France 2. Univ Cergy-Pontoise, IUFM, Cergy-Pontoise, France 3. Laboratoire de Géologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Univ Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon 4. Département des Sciences de la Terre, Faculté des Sciences, Univ Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon 5. Institute for Geological and Mining Research (IRGM), Branch of Geophysics and Volcanologic Research (ARGV), Yaounde, Cameroon 6. Département de Géologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Univ Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon 7. Département des Sciences de la Terre, Faculté des Sciences, Univ Yaoundé Yaounde, Cameroon 8. Institute for Geological and Mining Research (IRGM), Centre de Recherche Hydrologique du Cameroun, Nlongkak, Yaounde, Cameroon The Cameroon Volcanic Line stretches NE-SW for 1500 km from Lake Chad to the Gulf of Guinea. It contains numerous volcanic features that have formed beautiful landscapes.

Some volcanoes are active: (i) Mount Cameroon, a huge stratovolcano (4,095 m) that last erupted in 1999 and 2000; (ii) Lake Nyos, which emitted toxic carbon dioxide gas in 1986, killing 1746 people; (iii) Lake Monoun, which killed 37 people in 1984 in the same way.

Conversely, there are a number of positive aspects to be noted. Several crater lakes (e.g.

Manengouba) constitute huge reservoirs of drinking water and have a great potential for fishing. Soils are particularly fertile. Fine or pulverized pyroclastic rocks (Mg-, Ca-, K-rich) can be used as substitutes for chemical fertilizers.

Pouzzolanes (volcanic scoria) are exploited for cement and used for building and civil engineering.

This whole area is of major scientific interest as several volcanic types coexist: stratovolcano, monogenic Strombolian cones, maar and dome, all with their associated risks (lava flows, bombs and ash falls, lahar, instability and gas).

In addition, seismic (close to Mount Cameroon) and tidal (near the costs) risks must also be taken into account. .

Today, geotourism and ecotourism, which provide income for guides and the local population, are only developed on a local level. Some places, though, are becoming famous: (i) Lake Petponoun, a volcanic dam lake near Foumbot (Noun Plain): swimming, boating, golf, volleyball; (ii) Lake Ngaoundaba (maar): swimming and boating; (iii) a popular international annual (January, February) race to the top of Mount Cameroon, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports.

In the future, volcanic areas should be protected, preserved and possibly managed and the environment respected. Beautiful landscapes (savannas, meadows and gallery forest) under a pleasant equatorial climate will attract tourists. Promoting tourism would contribute to the economic and socio-cultural development of the country.

The impact of geotourism in protected natural volcanic areas in Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain) Dóniz, Javier; Romero, Carmen; Becerril, Laura; Guillén, Cayetano; Sánchez, Nieves; Galindo, Inés; Yepes, Jorge Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME) Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) Geotourism has a direct impact on the land and, especially, on the geomorphological evolution of landscapes in Protected Natural Areas (PNA). These PNA are characterized by their high geodiversity and their fragility. We present here an analysis of the effects of geotourism in the active volcanic region of Lanzarote, where more than 40% of the island’s surface enjoys some kind of environmental protection (a National Park and various natural parks, integral nature reserves, natural monuments, protected landscapes and sites of scientific interest), all

highly attractive due to their wonderful geodiversity.

Lanzarote is a well-established tourist destination and over 1.4 million people visited Timanfaya National Park in 2010. Moreover, 334,000 walkers visited the island’s natural protected areas. The main consequences of geotourism in Lanzarote PNA are: (1) the degradation of impressive volcanic features such as hornitos, lava-flow structures and rocks containing olivine by spoliation; (2) the destruction of volcanic cones and lava flows that are eroded when visitors do not follow paths; and (3) the disappearance of plant species and the introduction of new exotic species brought in on hikers’ boots.

Mining activities have been controlled in Lanzarote and nowadays do not constitute a direct impact. We suggest that the introduction of better signposting on natural trails could help to improve the preservation of the landscapes in the PNAs and their natural evolution.

INTERPRETIVE MASTER PLANNING METHOD FOR DEVELOPING A TOURISM ACTION PLAN FOR PROMOTING VOLCANIC EXPERIENCES ON TENERIFE (Spain) Martinez, E. TURISMO DE TENERIFE S.A. (Management Team Tourism Competitiveness Plan “Tenerife: Volcanoes of Life”) In 2009 the Canary Islands Tourist Board agreed a tourism competitiveness plan Canary Islands: Volcanic Experience, a singular three-year project for developing different actions aimed at promoting geotourism on every island of the Canary archipelago. On Tenerife, this Plan was known specifically as Tenerife: Volcanoes of Life and its objectives were: (1) to design a thematic tourist product to enhance destination competitiveness in a volcanic territory (2) to link disperse resources to develop a strategic market plan and (3) to continue the promotion of different products created over the previous three years as part of the dynamization plan Tenerife Welcome.

In 2010, the external circumstances in the global tourism market (that is, the crisis in the world’s economic structures) forced the management team of the project to revise their plans for actions and technical decisions.

This new perspective focused on efficiency in public spending and the promotion of inland socio-economic development, and led us to

use a heritage interpretation master planning methodology to create a thematic, relevant and attractive action plan for the following three years in Tenerife.

This innovative perspective in tourist-destination product planning was the first step in the use of heritage interpretation to articulate actions around a volcanic landscape in Tenerife.

In this process, the first step was create a multidisciplinary team, consisting of external consultants that are experts in local volcanic processes and interpretive master planning and internal staff with experience in tourism destination management.

For three months and after a series of weekly meetings, the team worked on a planning process to dentify the four key elements in the plan (cooperation, training, awareness and interpretation), to develop a national and international standard, to define the target audience and objectives (divided up into management, operational and communicative), to draw up an interpretive potential matrix with the heritage resource inventory (tangible or intangible) and to design a thematic approach leading to an Action Plan of five blocks: (1) Tourism Product Development (2) Specialized Training (3) Infrastructure Tourist Value (4) Social Awareness and (5) Ecotourism Marketing.

Integrated evaluation for the protection and sustainable development of the Capula- Morelia-Cuitzeo-Los Azufres (Michoacan Estate, Mexico) volcanic area Poch, Joan 1 Estrada , M. Rita1 Briansó, Isabelle2 Briansó-Peñalva, José-Luis1 Alonso-Guzmán, Elia Mercedes3 Martínez, Wilfrido3 1. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)Spain 2. Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin (UVSQ)-France 3. Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH)-Mexico The area of Morelia and Lake Cuitzeo (State of Michoacan, Mexico) is part of the Mexican Volcanic Belt (CVM, in which the main volcanic activity has taken place over the last 12 million years. Local geodiversity is characterized by la-

custrine dynamics, monogenetic volcanism and the geothermal field of Los Azufres.

Threats such as the exploitation of volcanic cones for building material exist, although there are also many opportunities including the potential for tourism at sites reflecting the impressive local natural and cultural heritage (e.g. pre-Hispanic archaeology, historic centre city of Morelia, Augustinian convents).

The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB is currently coordinating two projects in cooperation with the Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo University (UMSNH: Project Route 2010 (bicentennial route): Inventory and characterization of the bio- and geodiversity and monuments in the area of Lake Cuitzeo, Michoacan, Mexico, funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECI, and the project Studies, training, socio-economical management and evaluation of natural, cultural and monumental property for the promotion of the local societies in Latin America, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, funded by the Marie Curie Fellowship Programme of the European Union (FP7-PEOPLE, 2011-2015).

Given that the protection and socio-economic development of a volcanic area – in this case the surroundings of Lake Cuitzeo – should not be restricted purely to the management of its geological heritage, our team has developed an interdisciplinary approach that integrates elements of geological, biological, architectural, historical, social, economic and industrial (crafts and other local products) heritage, and which has four main objectives in mind: (1) the identification of sites of interest that are susceptible to be protected and/or promoted; (2) the development of geotourism and cultural routes (sustainable tourism); (3) university training to improve the management of heritage assets; and (4) awareness-raising amongst the local population.

Trans-Pyrenean Geological Route: understanding a landscape for rural development and education Vázquez-Prada, D.1, Pollán, M.1, De Marco, M.1, Richet, J.P.2, Pocovi, A. Casas, A.3 1. Asociation GeoAmbiente.

2. Asociation GeolVal. 3. Geotransfer Group. Universidad de Zaragoza.

Glaciers, volcanoes, deserts, caves and deep seas have combined to create the famous Pyrenean landscapes and have a great potential for rural development and education. With these aims in mind, collaboration between two non-profit associations (one French, one Spanish) and the University of Zaragoza created in 2005 the Trans-Pyrenean Geological Route (GTR), the first transnational geological route in Europe.

It consists of a 200-km route, starting at Riglos in the valley of the Aragon river in Spain and ends in the Aspe Valley and Oloron in France, and contains 25 points equipped with landscape interpretation panels and complemented with promotional media (guide-book, pamphlets, web-sites, social networks, etc.), all in French and Spanish. This geotourism route allows visitors to discover how the Pyrenees were formed, and understand its many natural resources, architectural styles and legends.

Today, the GTP is a broad project linking territories that complements rural tourism in the area, and has a number of secondary routes and guided excursions. It is also fast becoming an important resource for the popularization of Earth sciences and teaching in the area.

The GTP is therefore a perfect way of increasing the sustainable development of the Central Pyrenees and offers a highly effective environment for educational purposes, especially for secondary schools and universities.

It also acts as an incentive for collaboration between two countries, which has led to cooperation between travel agencies on both sides of the border and the creation of a network of Earth sciences guides and teachers.

FRIDAY 25

Environmental Communication & Education: Setting tools in a capable way Fernando Ramos Member of the IUCN CEPA Commission, and of the Ramsar CEPA Special Group.

Is commonly accepted that Environmental Communication, Education and Public Awareness (from now on CEPA) are necessary tools for nature & biodiversity conservation. But in fact, many often CEPA become just in very nice activities (most of the times children focused) with not relation with the management issues and with the factors and the target groups that plays in the very complex play of land and biodiversity conservation. In crisis time, with fewer budgets than never, it might be appropriate to reconsider the CEPA proposals not as isolated activities, but directly coming from management decisions, and so, focused in resolving the management problems.

On the other hand, to be successfully, CEPA needs be applied in an appropriate way. Education and public awareness process are not so linear as people usually think: information don’t become directly in more sustainability practices! To give good environmental information to the people should be necessary, but may be should not be the key of the solution.

So: What CEPA tools can make for conservation?

First, CEPA can help to get a useful vision of the problem: many often the problems (and so the designated tasks) are planned with a too open vision, unapproachable at last, impossible to focus and impossible to evaluate the results after.

Secondly: the social sciences can discovered the invisible map of target groups, factors and its relations and design communication and educational strategies for collective or individual targets. That it minds: each target group needs each suitable message and each distribution message channel.

Furthermore: Make education means understand education. Since the diagnostic of the problem to the change of attitudes, there are several steps that are necessary to know very well. Human behaviour is not simple at all.

Publicity, interpretation, environmental education and participation are different tools, each other with advantages and limits; design one program that uses the wise combination of them is a good beginning.

CEPA is a very powerful part of the solution, but cannot be the solution alone; CEPA must be integrated in the conservation strategies since the beginning of the planning. A good CEPA plan is a good management of your resources.

Azores Geopark Project: interpreting the Azorean geolandscapes Lima, Eva1; Garcia, Paulo2 1 University of the Azores, Geosciences Department 2 AZORINA S.A. (Society of Environmental Management and Nature Conservation) The Azores Geopark project has defined a number of educational programmes that include a set of activities adapted to school curricula and designed for students from elementary to secondary schools. It is expected that these activities, which will be implemented on all the Azore islands, will improve the approach of geoeducation in an inter-disciplinary sense.

The actions of the Educational Programmes include: • the availability of online content at the geopark web site under the subject headings Azorean Volcanoes and Azorean Geolandscapes, adapted to different school levels; • programmes for field trips titled Geosites on my Island; • the development of the idea Geology in Our Village/Town; • carrying out recycling and training courses on geoenvironmental interpretation for technicians from the islands’ natural parks and AZORINA S.A., teachers and other professionals with specific interests in these sectors.

The integration of these activities into the Regional Plan for Awareness and Environmental Education of the Azores and into the activities of the Regional Network of Ecotecas, centres of environmental interpretation, science centres and similar structures will ensure: (i) a broad thematic scope for these educational activities, (ii) their effectiveness and, (iii) full dissemination among the target audience on the different islands of the Azores.

Geotourism in Copahue Provincial Park (Neuquen, Argentina) Paloma Martínez Fernández, Luis Bertani & Patricia Barbieri Universidad Nacional del Comahue (Argentina) In the central west Neuquen province, where the Patagonian Andean range begins, stands Copahue volcano. Geothermal resources and the stunning scenery produced by volcanic and glacial processes led to the declaration of a protected area, which also preserves the most northerly specimens of Araucaria araucana forest. The rapid development of poorly planned tourism along with ancient animal husbandry practices (transhumance) generated a process of soil and vegetation degradation in the area known as the Agrio River Cascades. The loss of environmental quality has even negatively affected the perception and recreational experience of visitors.

This project aims to control and reverse the erosion and encourage environmentally friendly tourism, thereby providing a space for local participation in the promotion of more sustainable tourism. The work done so far has proven to be successful in terms of the restoration of the landscape and the raising of environmental awareness in local people. Workshops and field experiences with high school students and local guides from the nearby town of Caviahue are held regularly in order to move towards a more interpretative knowledge of the landscape and reinforce local identity and a stronger sense of belonging. Students contributed by creating brochures, videos and radio clips as ways of improving tourist practices in the park and arousing local interest in ‘appropriate’ sustainable natural resources related to volcanism. Environmental interpretation in its many different forms (posters, tours, etc.) provides knowledge and appreciation of the protected area. The project is being carried out by teachers and students from Comahue National University, along with technicians from the provincial offices of the protected natural areas.

Interpretation programs to promote preservation through understanding and good stewardship in the Sutter Buttes, Sacramento Valley’s “Inland Island” in northern California, USA. Larsen, Katherine Middle Mountain Foundation, Yuba City, California, USA

The Sutter Buttes, a small circular complex of eroded volcanic lava domes which rise as buttes above the flat plains of the Central Valley of California, was the sacred “Middle Mountain” of the valley Indian tribes. The Middle Mountain Foundation (MMF), a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, was formed in 1989 by area naturalists who realized the importance of protecting the area from development. The purposes of the foundation are to educate the general public in the relevance and importance to society of natural and cultural resources and to encourage preservation, understanding, and good stewardship of such resources. The Sutter Buttes are almost totally privately owned ranches.

The philosophy of the organization stresses finding a way for the public interest and private land to converge for the benefit of all, bringing together private landowners with scientists, educators, students, families, artists, and other citizens. The common ground is the Sutter Buttes itself, a landscape of exceptional natural and cultural values. Conservation easements and zoning regulations are used to protect the land, create wildlife corridors and to improve wildlife habitat.

Through contractual agreements with landowners, MMF has created learning opportunities within the Sutter Buttes for thousands of people, typically as guided hikes for the public or as school class outings. Weekend and charter hikes offer diverse guides to share its unique geological origin, cultural history, and natural ecology. School hikes offer students the opportunity to learn curriculum standards first hand with experienced teacher docents.

Carefully controlled access allows visitors to have high quality experiences while protecting the land itself. MMF board members also engage in outreach, spreading the message of this special place to those who have not yet visited the interior of the range.

Hazard Assessment and Risk Mitigation for Tourists at Hekla Volcano, Southern Iceland.

Montalvo, Jorge And Gudmundsson, Magnús Tumi.

Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland Hekla volcano is located in south-central Iceland at the intersection of the South Iceland Seismic Zone and the East Volcanic Zone. Iceland is a prime tourist destination and the area around

Hekla attracts tourists due to its hiking trails.

Hekla has erupted at least 18 times in historical times (since AD 1104) [1,2]. One of Hekla’s main characteristics is the production of mixed eruptions, i.e., both explosive and effusive, although the commonest final products are of basaltic andesite composition (52–54 wt% SiO2). The onset of eruptions at Hekla is sudden and there is little warning. Precursory seismic activity, which has been compared with strain data, can provide warning of an eruption approximately 30 minutes before it begins. The main hazards threatening tourists hiking to the summit of Hekla are thus (1) tephra fall including ballistic fallout; (2) pyroclastic density currents; (3) lava flows; and (4) lahars. Other hazards include gas and fluorine poisoning. Life- threatening situations can arise within a few minutes of the onset of an eruption. People are likely to be in great danger if they are very close to the vents (<2 km) when an eruption starts, but the danger is still great even at a distance of 5 km from the summit. Warning tourists during the short interval of seismicity unrest before an eruption is therefore very important, yet is unlikely to be possible.

An increase in the number of tourists in this area could have a positive economic impact on the tourist industry, although it also means that there is a greater risk of casualties in the event of an eruption. It is suggested that the risk might be mitigated by providing general warnings, by ensuring accurate information reaches tourism companies and by placing warning signs at strategic places around the volcano, as well as through pamphlets and web-based information.

Potential geosites in the Somma-Vesuvius National Park.

Petrosino Paola1; Alberico Ines2; Minolfi Giulia(1), Olivieri Antonetta1 1. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra Università di Napoli Federico II - NAPOLI - Italy.

2. C.I.R.AM. (Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Ambiente) Università di Napoli Federico II - NAPOLI - Italy In recent decades, public awareness and interest in the preservation of natural resources has grown greatly in Italy, as the recent declaration of 20 national parks testifies. Among them, only the Vesuvio National Park, declared in June 1995 and encompassing fourteen municipalities in Napoli Province, protects a volcanic landscape. Despite the fact that this territory is protected and managed for nature conser-

vation, it still lacks any specific structures for promoting its geological heritage.

It would be worthwhile to evaluate several sites for their geo-volcanological interest, including the sites of Fosso della Vetrana and Caprabianca due to their great environmental and educational value. In both these areas the products of the whole sequence of the Somma-Vesuvio activity are exposed, starting with the ancient lava flows making up most of the structure of the ancient stratovolcano (Somma). The explosive products of the Somma Plinian events are also well exposed, both as pyroclastic fall and pyroclastic density current deposits. This site combines its peculiar geological heritage with several different aspects of landscape and historical interest, including the former track of the Cook railway, which is easily accessible and rewarding for both expert and lay visitors alike.

Here we are preparing an educational geological itinerary named The Ancient Railway Track, partly corresponding to one of the already existing tourist itineraries organized by the Vesuvio National Park.

The second site of interest is the old quarry at Traianello, whose walls represent an open-air laboratory for both Earth science students and volcanologists. An important additional value of these sites is the possibility that they could be used in geoeducational programmes devoted to enhancing the perception of volcanic hazard and risk in young people living in the Vesuvio area, which is the most hazardous such area in the world.

The Chaîne des Puys (French Massif Central) volcanic range: a textbook example of magma differentiation.

Boivin Pierre, Devouard Bertrand, Laporte Didier, Médard Étienne Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France With eruptions having occurred as recently as 7,000 years ago, the Chaîne des Puys in the French Massif Central is a potentially active volcanic region. It consists of about 80 monogenetic volcanoes, which form a range that is aligned remarkably parallel to the Limagne fault, a major fracture of the Western European Rift (Boivin et al., 2009). These volcanoes show a wide spectrum of morphologies reflecting the variety of erupted magmas, from basaltic cinder cones to trachytic domes. The Chaîne des Puys also provides good examples of tuff rings

and maars associated with phreatomagmatic eruptions. This exceptional and readily accessible collection of volcanoes is renowned for its pedagogical interest and as such is visited by numerous students and educators from France and abroad.

The Chaîne des Puys lavas form a typical example of an alkaline magma series produced by fractional crystallization (Maury et al. 1980, Villemant et al. 1981). Further work has emphasized that this differentiation process is little affected by occasional magma mixing (Gourgaud & Camus, 1984) or crustal contamination (below 5%, Condomine et al, 1982). Magmas at different stages of differentiation can be observed within a single eruption, illustrating the emptying of a stratified magma chamber (e.g. the Pariou volcano).

The extensive analytical database already available (whole rock and mineral compositions), as well as the recent availability of efficient tools and techniques for digital data acquisition and treatment (e.g. elemental mapping and image analysis), make the Chaîne des Puys a worldclass site for teaching magma differentiation by fractional crystallization. Numerous exercises and personal case-studies can be conducted at different educational levels, from secondary schools to higher education, and can be based on the observation of hand samples and/ or thin sections, the interpretation of chemical analyses, elemental maps of thin sections, morphologic studies (Google Earth®, Craig® HYPERLINK “http://carto.craig.fr/”http://carto. craig.fr/, Géoportail® http://www.geoportail.fr/) and geological maps.

Volcán Tungurahua - Ecuador: potential geosite in geopark Jorge Bustillos, Liliana Troncoso Instituto Geofísico, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito-Ecuador.

A geopark is a territory possessing a geological heritage of national and international importance, which also contains elements of archaeological, ecological, historical and/or cultural significance. All these aspects should be part of an integrated protection, education and sustainable development strategy. The volcano Tungurahua and the surrounding area represent an ideal setting for learning about the geological heritage of Latin America. Thus, following its reawakening in 1999 and major eruptions in July and August 2006, and due to the great variability in its eruptive behaviour, early warn-

ing systems were established on Tungurahua.

At the same time studies of its geological history by various government institutions such as the Instituto Geofísico de la Escuela Politécnica Nacional (main agency monitoring seismic and volcanic activity in Ecuador) got underway and various groups joined forces in 2011 to start the Geopark of Tungurahua volcano project. Tungurahua (Lat. 01º28’, Long. 78°27’) is located in the Eastern Cordillera (Cordillera Real) of the Ecuadorian Andes, 120 km south of Quito and 33 km south-east of Ambato, capital of the Tungurahua Province that also includes the popular tourist area of Baños ​​ de Agua Santa. A 1,200-km2 area surrounding the volcano has a rich history of eruptive activity, including many places that serve as both outdoor classrooms and recreational areas. Since these types of sites are the main component of a geopark, and given that this project is a presidential commitment, our approach was to first search out and identify potential geopark locations. The accreditation and certification of the identified geological sites as a geopark by UNESCO will promote cultural and economic recovery and sustainable development in an area that has been both directly and indirectly affected by the volcano’s eruptive activity.

The first approach to potential geological sites and georoutes has identified a number of excellent sites that expose the geological history of Tungurahua via a series of volcanic deposits.

These deposits allow the transmission of knowledge concerning Tungurahua’s eruptive potential, its current threat and the vulnerability of people of all ages and educational backgrounds.

Outcrops where rock types, charred fragments of wood, bits of pottery, bones and remains of houses affected by the eruptions of 2006 are easily observable will keep local memory alive of the many uncertainties involved in living in a volcanic area with different risk levels. Besides promoting a fascinating educational and scientific experience, this project will help create a high level of sustainable tourism and the comprehensive development and protection of the unique Tungurahua volcanic area.

The didactic value of Cretaceous volcanic outcrops in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin: some examples from the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve.

Mendia, Miren1; Sarrionandia, Fernando2 Y Carracedo, Manuel1 1. Dpto. de Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, UPV/EHU, 48940 Leioa

2. Dpto. de Geodinámica, Facultad de Farmacia, UPV/EHU, 35017 Vitoria-Gasteiz Protected volcanic areas usually provide an excellent framework for the development of activities related to the transmission of local geological knowledge.

Sites of great didactic value can be used at different educational levels, from the general public up to university level, and also serve as fieldwork areas for the formation of geologists (field practices).

The most important protected volcanic areas in the Iberian Peninsula (Cabo de Gata, La Garrotxa, Campo de Calatrava, Murcia) enable volcanic deposits formed essentially in subaerial environments to be analyzed. In this communication, we aim to highlight the educational value of a number of outcrops in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa as examples of subaqueous volcanism.

The essential characteristics of the interstratified or intrusive volcanic deposits in the Cretaceous age sediments of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin correspond to a shallow submarine volcanism, which is represented by variably spilitized alkaline basalts and minor trachyte, picrite, gabbro and teschenites. The basic lavas form different types of lava flows: pillow lavas (pillows, megapillows), lobated lavas, sheet massive lavas and columnar lavas. Lavas are interbedded with pyroclastic and autoclastic deposits, among which thick layers of pillowbreccias can be discerned. Dikes, sills and small stocks represent the feeding system of these lavas. Different outcrops permit the full observation of the structural and textural characteristics of the basaltic products emitted in subaqueous environments and the discussion of their origin. Some of these outcrops are located within the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve and have recently been inventoried as Geosites (LIGs) due to their great geological heritage value.

Un Parc de contes/A Park of tales Bonet I Blanch, Octavi TOSCA, Serveis Ambientals d’Educació i Turisme, SL, Educational Services of the Volcanic Region of La Garrotxa Natural Park Un parc de contes/A Park of tales emphasizes the value of cooperative learning as a means of bringing local heritage closer to the school population.

To state that education is linked to the territory, landscape and the natural, social and cultural environment is not to say anything new.

Awareness of a volcanic environment amongst teachers and learners is the first step to learning to appreciate and to enhancing the value of our landscape. Education and training are the best ways of achieving this goal.

Environmental education and natural protected areas have a two-way relationship. On the one hand, natural protected areas offer great educational opportunities, while, on the other, educational and interpretation have great potential as management tools. They both minimize impacts caused by visits and deal with the main management and conservation objectives of the protected area in relation to the local population.

The managers of the protected area have worked with schools for many years on educational aspects of the La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park: fauna, vegetation, volcanism and landscape.

The aim of Un parc de contes/A Park of tales was to involve all pupils in primary schools from all the municipalities within the Natural Park. In all, 20 schools from La Garrotxa (87%) participated in this project. As part of the cooperative learning linked to literary and artistic resources, 1064 pupils wrote 41 tales on five different subjects: fauna, vegetation, volcanism, rivers and the Natural Park. These topics were chosen as a the result of the competition Una postal per al Parc Natural/A postcard to the Natural Park.

“Un parc de contes”/ “A tales park” was created with the aim of: · to discover the natural, socio-cultural and economic reality of the Natural Park · to create an space for approach to the territory and its nature · to raise awareness of the natural and social environment · to help to create sensibility to nature · to all pupils in primary school within the Volcanic Region of La Garrotxa Natural Park.

Visc entre volcans/Living amongst volcanoes Duran I Aranda, Gemma, Bonet Blanch, Octavi TOSCA, Serveis Ambientals d’Educació i Turisme, SL, Educational Services of the Volcanic Region of La Garrotxa Natural Park

Visc entre volcans/Living amongst volcanoes is an environmental education programme developed in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park aimed at the local population (not schools) and local cultural institutions, that is, families and adults who live in the vicinity of the protected area.

The main objectives of this programme are to use environmental education as a tool for encouraging the understanding, interpretation and awareness of the natural, cultural, historical, social and scenic values of the protected area, and to encourage participation in its activities.

The programme consists of morning walks, talks, demonstrations, visits to local producers, exhibitions and a trip to another protected area of Catalonia.

Over the last 10 years, 50 co-organizers and institutions have participated in Visc entre volcans/Living amongst volcanoes. Co-organizers are the institutions that ask to participate in the programme and propose activities that fit in with its objectives. These organizations help with the diffusion of the programme and most are town councils and other public bodies from La Garrotxa.

The number of participating bodies has increased progressively over the past 15 years and in 2011 a new high of 33 was reached.

It is worth noting the loyalty of participants: from 2007 to the present day and in all 19 entities have participated in the programme.

The average number of participants over the last five years is around 480 people/year, of which almost 20% are children.

Escola i Entorn/School and surroundings Bonet I Blanch, Octavi, Casadellà I Murlà, Noemí TOSCA, Serveis Ambientals d’Educació i Turisme, SL, Educational Services of the Volcanic Region of La Garrotxa Natural Park La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park is an area rich in geological, botanical, wildlife and landscape heritage. Despite being a very humanized area, historically local people have taken good care of these values.

The Natural Park’s commitment to working more intensely and in closer contact with local schools goes back to 1994. Since then, the Park

has developed different ways of working with students, teachers and other institutions in sustainable environmental education.

Since 2000, we have had to confront changes that have affected the social model we work with, and have noted that students still need to learn more about their immediate surroundings. The educational services of the Natural Park have created various programmes that aim to increase knowledge of the Volcanic Zone amongst students and teachers from the region.

During the 2009-2010 academic year, the programme Escola i entorn/School and surroundings was created with the following objectives: · to improve the local environment · to avoid as far as possible negative impacts on the territory · to work on the environment through specific action with schools · to work in the immediate surroundings in collaboration with other local entities Escola i entorn/School and surroundings represents a challenge and aims to help the development of specific skills designed to improve children’s coexistence and quality of life (knowledge of and interaction with the physical world, and social and civic relationships). We begin with the discovery of our surroundings and expand to include relationships that will enable students to be more proficient in their contact with the social environment.

The targets of this programme are primary and secondary school children studying in La Garrotxa. Preference is given to Escola Verda/ Green Schools and those that have expressed an explicit demand to undertake activities on a local scale.

THE RELEVANCE OF THE VISUALIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION IN NATURAL AND NATIONAL PARKS Martínez Rius, Albert Geologue Consultant (Catalonia, Spain) Some scientists warn of the danger of scientific ignorance in society. Therefore, it is important that we invest in clear and simple visualization of scientific knowledge so that the general public can understand its achievements. Visual tools are especially useful and in the visual thinking process there are four main steps. For instance, in the case of a natural park, first we must look for the scientific materials to be highlighted;

second, we should see what is most interesting and useful to society; third, we have to imagine the best way to communicate the message; lastly, we must find a way of presenting results, be it in form of flyers, guides or scientific papers. The concepts related to the visualization of scientific information can be represented on a multiple values graph. The x-axis represents the degree of general public perception, which grows from right to left, while y-the axis represents the concepts must at the bottom and nice at the top. The top horizontal axis represents what on the left and why on the right. If we take as an example La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, we see that on the left there are formal products that only say “volcanoes exist here”. Meanwhile, on the right, there are more complex products that explain “why volcanoes exist here” (scientific articles, PhD). The middle zone is the most interesting and might be where park managers should concentrate their efforts. Here we find the challenge to explain to the general public in a simple and approachable fashion two concepts: “there are volcanoes” and “why there are volcanoes.” If we manage to do this, the general public will learn in a pleasant way and our science will have value.

The field guide published by the Park, which illustrates the main volcanic features in the Park and explains their formation with a number of simple illustrations, is a good example of the balance between ‘nice’ and ‘must’.

Geology students on work experience in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park Calm Puig, Eva La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya Natural protected areas are excellent places for students of different disciplines and academic levels to gain practical experience. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula) believes in the importance of this activity and has always tried to encourage it. This belief coincides with those of a number of Catalan universities who have incorporated into their study plans the opportunity for students to gain practical work experience in businesses and other organizations during their life as students.

As such, in 2001 the Autonomous University of Barcelona and La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park signed an agreement whereby ge-

ology students could gain practical experience in this protected area. At the beginning of each academic year, contacts are made to plan the number of places available, bearing in mind the needs of institutions, and the respective academic tutors are designated. The practice period gives students credits towards their degree and allows them to get to know first-hand how a protected area is run by becoming involved in the research and management activities that are conducted during their stay.

The Park suggests that all students carry out a scientific study, adapted to their academic level, which will give them experience and also be of use to the management team by filling gaps in their knowledge. In the period 2001–2011, the Park welcomed 11 geology students who carried out a total of 2,240 hours of work experience, mostly between February and May (although a few students came in the summer).

Their scientific investigations, some of excellent level and very useful for the Park in its work conserving the local geological heritage, are to be found in the Park’s Documentation Centre and are also available on-line via the Park’s webpage.

Where to obtain information and documentation about protected volcanic areas in Spain Grabolosa Sellabona, Montserrat1 Toril Moreno, Rosario2 1. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya.

2. National Centre for Environmental Education (CENEAM). Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs.

Besides the well-known volcanoes on the Canary Islands, in Spain there are a number of other inactive volcanic areas such as Cabo de Gata (Almeria), Campo de Calatrava (Ciudad Real), Cofrentes (Valencia), Columbretes Islands (Castellón) and La Garrotxa (Girona), which have been included in several protected areas.

Information on protected volcanic areas can be obtained primarily through the administrations that are in charge of the management of these areas. The universities and their associated centres, libraries and local archives, and the Spanish National Research Council (Con-

sejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) are also good sources of reliable information.

As well, non-profit-making institutions such as EUROPARC-Spain, are also excellent sources of information.

Also of interest as a source of interesting information at user and technical levels are collaborative networks such as the Network of Environmental Information and Documentation Centres in Spain, an umbrella organization for more than 100 libraries and documentation centres specializing in environmental matters, which has its own website and mailing list.

It is also worth bearing in mind that there is plenty of information to be found on blogs, on sites such as Slideshare, Flickr, Youtube and disseminated via social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in, Google or social markers such as Delicious or Mister Wong.

Mobile libraries and documentation points for environmentally committed organisms and institutions in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park Grabolosa Sellabona, Montserrat La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment. Generalitat de Catalunya The Park Documentation Centre is a specialized library opened in 1985 that is considered one of the ten most important such centres in Spain in terms of the quantity and variety of its documentation. It provides resources for managing the Park, raising awareness of the Park’s work and material for the Park staff and external researchers.

Part of the Centre’s resources are on-line and part on paper, and in all it contains 13,800 documents and 14,000 images that are housed in Can Jordà one of the Park’s management centres. Its strengths are the personalized service it offers, the quality of its services, its emphasis on virtual documents and its ability to work in a network as a means of optimizing its resources.

For many years, thematic collections of the Centre’s documents – the so-called ‘Mobile Libraries’ – have been lent to schools and institutions linked to the Park as a way of providing back-up material and improving the quality of activities, courses and study programmes.

As of 2009, the Documentation Centre has gone a step further and has offered local companies working in tourism that have been awarded the European Charter of Sustainable Tourism the chance to become Park documentation points.

These businesses receive as a donation a series of documents and are lent certain materials on a year-by-year basis on a number of different subjects. This idea has been well received and over 40% of the accredited companies have become Park documentation centres and thus are able to offer more information to visitors to the area. As a result, more people now have access to the park’s documentary resources, which has extended its opening hours and become more visible to more people. It is hoped that this idea can be extended to other sectors that are setting up actions involving environmental improvement. One of the proposals originating from the Charter is the creation and promotion of a network of documentation centres throughout La Garrotxa.

Volcano Museum. Museu Comarcal de la Garrotxa, Catalonia, Spain.

Llongarriu Castañer, Marissa Volcano Museum. Museu Comarcal de la Garrotxa. Olot.

The Volcano Museum was created in 1985 and is located inside Parc Nou in Olot. It is a small municipal museum and a member of the Catalan Network of Natural Science Museums.

The museum consists of indoor rooms with both permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as outdoor spaces including the botanical garden that contains much of the natural vegetation of the Olot area. The museum’s main missions are to conserve, protect, disseminate, promote, research and document the natural heritage of La Garrotxa in order to foster knowledge, respect and admiration for this heritage among the local population.

The museum’s permanent exhibition reveals the main natural environments found in La Garrotxa, along with an overview of the seismic and vulcanological phenomena that have taken place. The exhibition is complemented with an audiovisual in which visitors can experience a simulation of an earthquake. The second hall is dedicated to the most important ecosystems in La Garrotxa. The overriding goal of the museum is to serve as a link between visitors and nature itself, which if truth be told is the only real natural-science museum in the area.

The museum has an educational service with a programme of activities targeting the different kinds of people that visit its facilities.

The Volcano Museum is the most popular museum in Olot. In 2011, 25,653 visitors passed through the Museum’s halls, 12,929 of whom were schoolchildren, along with 3,600 visitors to the temporary exhibitions. The museum organises a variety of activities, including workshops, lectures, courses and temporary exhibitions, all with the goal of highlighting La Garrotxa’s natural heritage and bringing science to the attention of the general public. The museum’s collections are made up above all of geological, botanical and zoological items and specimens.

Maares in the desert: interpretation and education (San Luis Potosí, México) Julio-Miranda, Patricia; Palacio-Aponte Gerardo y López Luis Coordinación de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, México Several hydrovolcanic structures are located 35 km NE of the city of San Luis Potosí. They are distributed in two groups: Joya Honda, Joyuela and Laguna de los Palau (Ventura Group) and Joya de las Contreras, El Banco, Santo Domingo and Joya Prieta (Santo Domingo Group). Of them, La Joya Honda maar is the best known.

It is located at the top of the Sierra del Coro and consists of an extraordinary elliptical crater measuring ca. 1100 m in diameter with a depth of approximately 300 m. At the bottom of the maar, visitor can observe layers of Cretaceous limestone and pyroclastic deposits of ash falls and surges dating from 1.1 Ma. The origin of Joya Honda is linked to the basanitic magma eruptions that brought to the surface mantle xenoliths of considerable heuristic value for the volcanologist. Study of the local plant associations indicate the existence of a wide variety of azonal xerophytic shrubs such as Gochnatia and Helieta parvifolia, Prosopis, Yuca and Opuntia, and Maytenus with Amarantus and Atriplex.

The beauty of the La Joya Honda landscape and its easy accessibility have favoured a flow of visitors and attracted the attention of authorities interested in the development of a plan to promote ecotourism. The interpretation and education of the heritage value of this site – for both local communities and tourists – should be a priority within any ecotourism

programme. Geomorphological mapping for interpretative purposes and the elaboration of materials aimed at various different types of audiences are strategies that should contribute to the overall conservation of the maar, which at the moment is not protected by either environmental or heritage legislation.

ORGANIZED BY

COLLABORATION WITH

ENDORSED BY

Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa

FES - Fundació d’Estudis Superiors d’Olot

IAVCEI

Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca, Alimentació i Medi Natural

Europarc España SPONSORED BY

Ajuntament d’Olot

Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Ensenyament SCEA - Societat Catalana d’Educació Ambiental

Patronat de la Costa Brava

ICTJA IGC - Institut Geològic de Catalunya

CST - Centre de Sostenibilitat Territorial Associació Desenvolupament Rural Integral Turisme Garrotxa Observatori del Paisatge Progeo

Endesa