Paired Geosites from the Mountainous Areas of the Russian South

Abstract

The purpose is to identify highlight and generally characterize a new form of organization of geological heritage, which is of interest from a geographical and geo-ecological point of view. Materials and methods. The work is based on the outcomes from the fi eld investigations of the geosites in Mountainous Adygeya. The modern developments concerning classifi cation of geological heritage objects were used. Spatio-visual links are traced for the considered geosites. Results and discussion. The geosites «Partisan Glade» и «Lagonaki Highland» represent diff erent unique phenomena. However, they demonstrate connectedness because the former serves as a viewpoint in relation to the latter. The geosites «Lagonaki Highland» and «Gud Mountain and Soldier Pass» also diff er, although their connectedness is even stronger due to the availability of mutual views. The geosites are paired only partly in the fi rst case, and the geosites are paired fully in the second case. These observations allow to propose paired geosites, as well as to reveal the complexity of organization of the geological heritage in Mountainous Adygeya. This complexity matters in planning geoconservation activities and geotourism development. Conclusions. The paired geosites represent a new form of organization of geological heritage. Their establishment marks a transition from point, discrete analysis of this kind of natural heritage to more complex interpretations, which are more tied to the general landscape context. It appears to be logical to pay more attention to the geographical and geoecological aspects of geosite localization.