Our Common Geoheritage: The First 100 International Geoheritage Sites from the Basque Coast to Grand Canyon
November 8, 2022
The village of Zumaia, on the Basque Coast (north coast) of Spain, hosted a meeting recently (October 26-28, 2022) of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), the 60th anniversary of the IUGS, with representatives from over 40 counties. The purpose was to dedicate the FIRST 100 International Geological Heritage Sites.
University of New Mexico Distinguished Professors Karl Karlstrom and Laura Crossey, in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and long-time Grand Canyon researchers, were among the attendees. They developed the “Trail of Time Exhibition” in 2010 at the South Rim to foster geoscience education and were the proposers and presenters of two successful IUGS Geoheritage sites including the nominations for the Grand Canyon at the Zumaia meeting.
“The mood was exuberantly serious in a commitment to link geo and human heritage together, a partnership that becomes ever more urgent as human populations grow exponentially on a small planet,” said Karlstrom.
What do Grand Canyon, Zumaia sea cliffs, the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, the top of Mount Everest, and Yellowstone’s geysers have in common? They were all formally selected on Oct. 28, 2022, as some of the FIRST 100 IUGS Geoheritage Sites. Fifty more sites have already been accepted for the SECOND 100. What the sites have in common is their high international scientific and societal importance (https://iugs60.org/100-geosites/). There were 181 applications from 56 countries that were carefully evaluated by 34 voting members; other sites will follow.
The three-day conference included talks from most of the proposers (mostly in English). Basque music and dance were part of the ceremony, with similarities to Flamenco dance that also has roots in Basque culture. In 1540, Coronado, with numerous Basques, entered what is now New Mexico and the first European, Cardenas, saw Grand Canyon as they journeyed to Arizona.
“In New Mexico we share a diverse human heritage that includes Native, Hispanic, and other cultures,” said Crossey. “We also share a common geo heritage and the combination can help us reach forward.”
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