Abstract Geodiversity and geosite assessments precede geoheritage and geotourism utilization. The process first determines the geodiversity value of an area (based on geoscientific attributions) and then the geotourism potential of the available sites. As a result, significant geosites can be identified, which are the bases for protection and tourism. During geosite assessment, scientific and infrastructural aspects are essential because spectacular sites and landscapes carrying intrinsic or visible values generate interest among tourists and professionals. In this study, a quantitative workflow to determine the geodiversity index over an area, evaluate geosites and monitor significant ones is presented. The study area is the Bakony–Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark, where no quantitative assessment was conducted previously. A GIS-based geodiversity analysis identified the most diverse areas which gave the basis for the geosite assessment done in a ‘geodiverse’ subregion of the geopark. The most important nine of the 75 identified potential geosites were chosen to examine the spatial variance of the assessment. By continuous monitoring, we got an image of what the visitors liked or did not like there. In this way, we were able to monitor the various opinions of geotourists to present unique development strategies for each of them. A connection between the location of geosites and the spatial distribution of geodiversity values was also determined by analysing and visualizing the connection between geodiversity and geosite assessment results.

Abstract It is imperative today to make geoheritage conservation an essential part of all environmental standards and operational procedures. This is because geoheritage conservation secures the preservation of in situ geoheritage elements especially in urban environments such as Auckland. Geoheritage in Auckland is strongly associated with both indigenous culture and textbook geology of monogenetic volcanism, and it can play an important role in hazard forecasting and risk mitigation. To date, there has been a lack of policy or any planning tools based explicitly on the current geopreservation inventory. Here, we present an approach to support policy making informed by a spatial multi-criteria analysis that has long been used in environmental decision-making, supported by multi-layer mapping. A systematic literature review was undertaken to define the most accepted assessment criteria used in geoheritage evaluation. We identified six criteria for the base spatial layers of our analysis, highlighting the most suitable areas for geoheritage conservation. For cultural conservation, we used available archaeological shape files, indigenous land ownership data and elevation data (the volcanic cones had multiple roles in the life of first settlers, the ancestors of the Māori). Geographic Information Systems (GIS) multi-objective land use planning is an effective procedure for achieving complex planning and preservation objectives. It allows for outcomes based on quality data and sound analysis while minimizing compromise and conflict between geoheritage, social and cultural values.

Abstract The present introduction to Quaternary Geoarchaeology of India discusses the historical background of the research carried out in India in the field of the Quaternary Period. It talks about the specific contributions made by scholars on the subject of geoarchaeology in the recent past. This special volume consists of 19 chapters contributed by various scholars working in earth sciences and geoarchaeology fields. It is divided into three sections: (1) landscape geoarchaeology, (2) applications in geoarchaeology and (3) reviews. The volume aims to represent the recent advances in the field of Quaternary geoarchaeology in India, which is generally under-represented and is usually restricted from reaching a global scholarly audience.

Abstract Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Narmada River Valley has been well known for discoveries of abundant vertebrate fossil localities, a wide range of prehistoric archaeological assemblages and the first-known hominin fossil site in India at Hathnora. The fossil and archaeological remains are found in various sedimentary contexts: boulder conglomerate, pebble-rich sand, cross-bedded, coarse-to-fine sand and reddish brown clay in the Early to Late Pleistocene deposits. Our preliminary field investigations in the Narsinghpur region of the basin mark the presence of 26 individual localities within a stretch of 70 km of the Narmada River and adjoining tributaries. Each location was documented by GPS and the geological details were recorded while collecting the fossils. Past and current palaeontological research has revealed that a variety of fauna adapted to the sub-humid climate of both aquatic and terrestrial landscapes that thrived in this area during the Pleistocene period. One of our long-term goals is to understand the reasons for the high number of palaeontological occurrences compared with other parts of India and use such information to predict the locations of new occurrences, including hominin fossils. Various taphonomic processes in this region are responsible for the preservation and destruction of fossil assemblages in different geological formations: soil type, climatic conditions, rich calcium carbonate presence, encrustation, patination and modern anthropogenic activities (among others). Most of the fossil localities are found at an elevation range of 310–350 m above mean sea level (AMSL). The Narmada Basin was inhabited by prehistoric human populations and a variety of fauna, as evidenced by the ample lithic and fossil assemblages across the region. There are definitive contextual patterns of occurrences of the Quaternary vertebrate fossils and archaeological assemblages in the landscape, which require detailed investigations and mapping to understand the spatial distribution pattern and nature of associated sedimentary environments. In addition, this uniquely fossil-rich area requires proper protection and long-term preservation as it is heavily impacted by modern anthropogenic factors such as agriculture, sand mining and other activities.

Abstract Pleistocene vertebrate fossils are prominently known from several regions across the Indian Subcontinent including the Siwalik Hills, the numerous river valleys across India and some cave sites. Unfortunately, most of this evidence is lacking a robust chronological framework and very few fossil specimens have been subjected to absolute dating methods. All of the known fossil evidence is found in diverse sedimentary contexts and these faunal assemblages have mostly been assigned broad or relative age brackets such as Early Pleistocene (i.e. the Pinjore Formation of the Upper Siwalik Subgroup) and Late Pleistocene (almost all the remaining fossil vertebrate fauna in the rest of the Subcontinent). This paper discusses contextual and chronological perspectives and associated interpretative issues of open-air Pleistocene faunal sites south of the Siwalik Hills, such as north-central and peninsular India. For instance, the virtual lack of Early and Middle Pleistocene fauna across most of India requires consideration and explanations beyond just the lack of absolute dates. A general review of the known data demonstrates a critical need for absolute dates for the various fauna as well as more rigorous field and lab methods for Indian palaeontology in general, and to avoid erroneous implications for Indian palaeoanthropology.

Abstract Whether scavenging or hunting, the consumption of large mammals is very prominent in the history of humankind. During the Lower Palaeolithic period, the abundance of large cutting tools found indicates increased meat consumption. Evidence has demonstrated this at various African and European sites where direct links between lithic and faunal assemblages have been made, for instance cut-marked bones and use-wear studies. On the Indian Subcontinent, there is a lack of direct evidence on animal remains in archaeological contexts (with one exception); however, there are numerous sites where animal fossils and lithic artefacts occur in shared contextual associations. The present paper is concerned with the relationships between the lithic and faunal assemblages in archaeological contexts, particularly the occurrence of bifaces and large mammalian fossils in Lower Palaeolithic assemblages with specific reference to the central Indian zone. Without the confirmation of anthropogenic signatures on Pleistocene faunal remains, it is not easy to assess whether a particular assemblage has the contemporaneous deposition of the two datasets or not. Here, we present a review of archaeological and faunal records in the central Narmada Valley and explore the possible associative evidence of human–animal interactions.

Abstract Rivers and river-borne deposits have always been a major attraction for hominins as an important source of sustenance and settlements. Hence, fluvial deposits have long been an important source of evidence for early human occupation throughout the Old World. Apart from being an important palaeoclimatic marker, fluvial sequences have provided archaeologists with frameworks for correlation, along with Palaeolithic markers discovered within them. Moreover, given the influx of sediments eroded and deposited by Indian rivers, these could have acted as a centre of hominin activities. Palaeolithic research in India has been concentrated around some of its major river valleys, which have yielded a rich record of hominin occupation. So far, 305 Palaeolithic sites have been reported from a gravel context throughout the country, yielding Lower to Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic evidence. However, most of the derived evidence is secondary deposits and stands contested based on its contextuality. Nevertheless, its importance as a source of information about hominin activity cannot be underestimated. This review presents a provisional synthesis of all of the Indian Palaeolithic sites reported from gravel contexts, thereby presenting scope for future multidisciplinary research at these localities.

ABSTRACT The Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas National Natural Landmark, Colorado, USA, including Dinosaur Ridge, is rich in geological and paleontological history, ranking historically as the premier location and type area for Late Jurassic dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Diplodocus . As the type area for the Morrison Formation, it famously became central in the “Bone Wars” underway in the 1870s. After a brief historical introduction at Stop 1, the trip will explore the ‘mid’-Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone (Stop 2), which yields the top-ranked dinosaur tracksite in the United States, with two type ichnospecies and the most accessible “nest scrape display trace” evidence of dinosaurian sexual display found anywhere. It also an important location for the study of microbial mat in association with dinosaur tracks, now photogrammetrically surveyed in detail. Dinosaur Ridge serves as the type area for the “Dinosaur Freeway” and the transgression of the Western Interior Seaway. Its diverse invertebrate traces have also been described in detail. After lunch at the Dinosaur Ridge Visitor’s Center exhibit (Stop 3), the trip will move a short distance to Golden to view the type localities for the first bird and crocodilian tracks ever reported from the Mesozoic (Stop 4). We will also visit the younger (Late Cretaceous) Laramie Formation, exposed in the Golden clay pits, cut by the Golden fault, and the source of historically famous paleofloras, the first known Ceratopsian tracks, and other type traces now developed as Triceratops Trail (Stop 5), constituting part of the well- documented Fossil Trace and School of Mines Geological Trail complex. The field excursion will involve easy walks and no strenuous climbs.

ABSTRACT The first trace fossils in Hungary, dinosaur footprints, were found in the coal mines of the Mecsek Mountains. The footprints belonged to small theropod dinosaurs. The first fossil bones of vertebrate animals from present-day Hungary were found in 2000 in the mountainous region of Bakony. Numerous taxa have been collected from the locality of Iharkút. These fossils represent a diverse fauna (including fishes, amphibians, turtles, lizards, crocodilians, dinosaurs, birds, and pterosaurs) that lived between 85.8 and 83.5 m.y. ago in the Santonian Age during the Late Cretaceous period. Paleoart can depict these fossil remains in an engaging way to help inform the public about the ancient creatures of Hungary. This chapter provides an overview of how the Mesozoic vertebrates from Hungary have been reconstructed for scientists and the public.