Gökçeada – a Turkish island on the Thracian Sea

Thracian Sea about 20 km west of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Archaeological discoveries have so far indicated that colonization on this island dates back to 3000 BC. Currently, about 8300 people live on Gökçeada, including about 250 inhabitants of Greek origin. The diversity of the island’s geological structure affectsits rich relief and area colouring. Cliffs on the northern coast and beaches on the southern one, high mountains and deep canyons in the central part of the island attract fans of solitude, diving and nature. Monuments from the time of the Roman Empire are rare on the island. One of them is a huge rock with two tombs hewn outin it. It is located in a completely uninhabited and treeless area. There are seven old plate trees on the island registered as natural monuments. The youngest one is 180 years old and the oldest tree is almost 630 years old

Geotouristic aspects of the Geopark Cabo de Gata-Níjar (Andalusia, Spain)

The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Geopark is one of the most remarkable examples of the geological heritage in Spain, and it comprises the largest volcanic massif in Andalusia. It is built of andesites and dacites with such typical volcanic forms like lava flows, volcanic calderas, volcanic domes and columnar joints. The ancient beaches and reefs demonstrate the presence of climate change as well as of a subtropical sea. The tourism in this region is mainly focused on its beaches and some remains of the cultural heritage, like salt works or the Rodalquilar gold mine. This study pretends to analyze the reasons and consequences of this matter. Highlighting the good state of preservation of this area and the possibility of enjoyment of its beauty, more attention should be paid to the popularization of the local geological aspects, which would significantly increase the awareness and interest among the tourists

Eden Project – the Cornwall Peninsula peculiarity

The Eden Project – the largest natural scientific complex – was established in 2001 in the surroundings of Bodelva situated in the southern part of Cornwall (Great Britain). It was created in a kaolin pit closed down in the XIXth century. This venture has three main functions: natural, educational and touristic. Theproject presents unusually interesting and original architecture. Under light-transmitting, semicircular domes there are various ecosystems called biomes which differ from the external environment. The entire project consists of the following parts: the Mediterranean biome, the rainforest biome, a unit called “theCore” and the visitor centre. The area where all the buildings are located is covered by the external biome. The Eden Project is a huge educative institution which reflects processes occurring in the nature. The aim of this venture is, above all, education of ecological aspects concerning life on the Earth and presentation of the necessity to preserve the biodiversity. Since its opening, the Eden Project has been visited by 1.2 million tourists every year

Selected, new proposals of geotouristic attractions from Lower Silesia

The Lower Silesia is the region of the largest diversity of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks used for construction and decoration. These rocks are extracted in numerous quarries, which are generally inaccessible for tourists. Hence, the educationally important, unique or just interesting sites remain unknown and cannot be included into the educational activity. However, there is a great number of abandoned quarries, which have been densly vegetated since the closure and which were rather distant from popular tourist trails. Among them are many sites of significant historical value due to the age of exploitation or particular stones then used for construction of important historical monuments or for carving the stonework or sculpture masterpieces. The following paper presents the currently operating quarries with the reference to modern buildings in Wrocław, in which specific stones were used. Moreover, the abandoned quarries were described, which may become tourist and geotourist attractions if properly developed and provided with relevant information

Torcal de Antequera – stony town from Andalucia

The Torcal de Antequera is one of the best-preserved karst landscapes in Europe developed in Jurassic, oolithic, brecciated and detrital limestones. The rock formation is wellbedded and cut by a dense, regular fracture system. A relatively small area (20 km2) comprises four distinct geomorphological zones. At the surface visitors can recognize a variety of landforms produced by water and wind erosion whereas underground there exists a labirynth of karst forms: deep shafts, meandering galleries and huge caves. Since 1978 the Torcal de Antequera has been protected as a Natural Park and since 1989 it has become a Nature Site. The park combines a collection of remarkable geological valours and an exceptional biodiversity

The cultural landscape of the Linares-La Carolina mining district (Spain)

The Linares-La Carolina mining district is located in the north of Andalusia. In 1999, the European partners of the MINET (European Mining Heritage Network) Project visited the district and described it as “The best kept secret in Europe”. This is a heritage of international historical, technological, cultural and economic importance with an exceptional concentration of remains. Some of these, unmatched anywhere, represent 4000 years of mining history, and of an intense “Industrial Revolution” that shaped a unique cultural landscape. The great importance of the mining and smelting activities in the area during the industrial period resulted in numerous different buildings that changed the aspect of the place and left their mark in towns and villages, creating a distinctive landscape. The ore dressing floors, significant features in themselves, gave rise to huge waste accumulations, tailings and dams that deeply mark the landscape. The first Cornish pumping engine was installed in Pozo Ancho Mine in 1849, proving to be such a success that a great proportion of the area’s mines were equipped with these Leviathans of the industrial world. There are still a great number of Cornish pumping Engine Houses in the district. Their robust construction has allowed them to continue to stand out as reference points in the landscape and as symbols of industrial architecture. The Linares-La Carolina District has probably one of the largest concentrations of pumping engine houses in the world. Six important foundries (La Cruz, Arroyo Hidalgo, La Esperanza, La Tortilla, La Fortuna and San Luis) were working at the same time in Linares, and three more in La Carolina. In these, galena was smelted to produce metallic lead. The ancient mining routes, and the revaluation of an Iberian-Roman settlement, are foci for several archaeological investigations currently being carried out in the area. These have confirmed the antiquity of the mining and smelting. These could be included as part of the tourist experience. A reconstruction of the Iberian-Roman settlement, including a small village and a mine, could be a key element illustrating how this area developed at the start of its mining history. Currently, several projects are turning the mining heritage into a real resource for social regeneration and as an attraction for visitors. The landscape of the Linares-La Carolina mining district should be a real museum that people would wish to visit. There is a need to preserve and interpret both artifacts and a way of life. The Arrayanes Project has been, and must be in the future, a partnership between the local people and their heritage. A long term aim is to get the Mining Landscape of the the Linares-La Carolina district designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.//Rejon górniczy Linares-La Carolina leży w północnej Andaluzji. W 1999 r. partnerzy europejskiego projektu MINET (European Mining Heritage Network), stanowiącego zalążek późniejszej Europejskiej Sieci Dziedzictwa Górniczego ‘EUROPAMINES’, odwiedzili ten rejon i określili go jako „Najlepiej trzymaną tajemnicę w Europie”. Jest to dziedzictwo o międzynarodowym znaczeniu historycznym, technologicznym, kulturowym i ekonomicznym, będące szczególnym nagromadzeniem tego typu zabytków. Niektóre z nich, niespotykane nigdzie indziej, przedstawiają 4000 lat historii górnictwa i nasilonej „Rewolucji Przemysłowej”, która ukształtowała unikalny krajobraz kulturowy tej części Hiszpanii. Wielkie znaczenie działalności górniczej i hutniczej na tym obszarze, w okresie przemysłowym skutkowało powstaniem wielu rozmaitych budowli, które zmieniły aspekt tego miejsca i pozostawiły swoje znamię w miastach i wsiach, tworząc charakterystyczny krajobraz. Zakłady przetwórcze rudy, bardzo charakterystyczne same w sobie, dały początek gromadzeniu się wielkiej ilości odpadów, hałd dobitnie znaczących tutejszy krajobraz. Pierwszy parowy silnik maszyny odwadniającej, pochodzący z Kornwalii, został z sukcesem zainstalowany w szybie Pozo Ancho w 1849 r. Niebawem znaczna część kopalni na tym terenie została wyposażona w podobnego typu „olbrzymy” świata przemysłowego. Do chwili obecnej na tym obszarze istnieje wiele maszynowni typu kornwalijskiego, zarówno pompowych jak i wyciągowych. Ich mocna konstrukcja pozwoliła przetrwać jako punkty odniesienia w krajobrazie i jako symbole architektury przemysłowej. Rejon Linares-La Carolina reprezentuje przypuszczalnie największezagęszczenie maszynowni tego rodzaju na świecie. Równocześnie funkcjonowało w Linares sześć hut (La Cruz, Arroyo Hidalgo, La Esperanza, La Tortilla, La Fortuna i San Luis) oraz dwie w La Carolina. W nich z galeny wytapiano metaliczny ołów. Dawne szlaki górnicze oraz pozostałości osadnictwa iberorzymskiego są miejscami aktualnie prowadzonych wnikliwych badań archeologicznych. Właśnie one potwierdziły wiekowość tutejszego górnictwa i hutnictwa. Stanowiska archeologiczne zostaną włączone do kompleksowej oferty turystycznej. Rekonstrukcja dawnego osadnictwa, z drobnymi wioskami i kopalniami włącznie, może być ważnym elementem ukazującym, jak obszar ten rozwijał się u początków swojej górniczej historii. Obecnie, wiele projektów badawczych przywraca dziedzictwo górnicze do właściwych zasobów wartości społecznej i jako atrakcję dla odwiedzających. Cały rozległy obszar górniczy Linares-La Carolina powinien stać się otwartym muzeum, które społeczeństwo chciałoby odwiedzać. Długoterminowym projektem jest rozpoczęcie procedury zgłoszenia Krajobrazu Górniczego rejonu Linares-La Carolina na listę Stanowisk Światowego Dziedzictwa UNESCO

Abandoned basalt quarry in Strzegom – a chance for reopening

The paper presents the history, current state and possible future protection, and development of the open-cast mining heritage. An example is the abandoned basalt quarry in Strzegom known under official name ”The Żółkiewka Quarry” although local community uses rather the term “basalt quarry”. The rock is an Early Miocene alkaline basalt of K-Ar isotopic age 19.84 ± 0,93 Ma. Mining operations had lasted from the XIXth century until 1986. The plans are currently prepared to adapt the quarry for local community and for tourism by development of geological thematic trail and construction of educational infrastructure

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Significance of petrographic research in reconstruction of stone monuments

Many monumental objects, especially older ones, were made of stones which, contrary to their proverbial durability, with time and in various environmental conditions can decay. The speed of this process and the resistance of stone depend not only on environmental conditions but also to a great degree on the quality of material used for building the object considered today as “monumental”. Degradation processes often lead to such stone loss that conservator work requires making proper refills. Smaller damages are refilled with appropriate mineral masses, whereas in case of bigger damages refilling with natural stone is necessary. In some cases after many years the refilled parts, which are more or less resistant to atmospheric conditions than the monument’s stone, differ not only by color but also by surface texture and presence of secondary mineral efflorescence, etc. This is caused by improper choice of stone material for reconstruction. The stone used for refill should be exactly the same or as much similar as possible. It can be done only after previous detailed petrographic analysis allowing to determine unequivocally the type of stone which the monument is made of. If there is no information about the source material in the monument’s documentation, the only solution is to choose material most similar to the original one in respect of mineral composition and structural characteristics. Only then the stone material used for refills will be appropriate and stonework performed properly will not leave marks or marks will be completely harmless for the object