Abstract
This paper outlines the long history of investigations and writings in regard to the geology, i.e., in the increasing level of awareness of the geological phenomena and the properties of geological materials resulting in different uses and hence different values being assigned to stone, minerals and metals, and crystals. This history spans from antiquity to the secular scientific endeavours that led to founding principles in geology, and the development of its discipline and sub-disciplines. The post-industrialisation events in Britain led to the world’s first geosite inventory-based on geoconservation needs. While the beginnings of curiosity in geology date back to the beginning of civilisation, interest in what is now termed geoheritage, in modern times, largely derives from Britain. As such, with its classic sites, reference sites, and type locations, many of which are global standards for stratigraphy, and sites illustrating geological principles, Britain provides a case study of the history and development of geoconservation.
Résumé
Ce travail donne un aperçu sur la longue histoire des investigations et des écrits liés à la géologie. Cette dernière a évolué avec la croissante prise de conscience des phénomènes géologiques et des propriétés des matériaux géologiques résultant de différentes utilisations et donc des valeurs différentes ont été affectées à la pierre, les minéraux et les métaux, et des cristaux. Cette histoire s’étend de l’Antiquité aux efforts scientifiques laïques qui ont conduit aux principes fondateurs de la géologie, le développement de ses discipline et sous-disciplines. Les événements post-industrialisation en Grande-Bretagne ont conduit au premier inventaire mondial des géosites basé sur un besoin de géoconservation. Alors que le commencement de l’intérêt à la géologie remonte au début de la civilisation, l’intérêt au géopatrimoine revient surtout à la Grande-Bretagne. Avec ses sites classiques, ses sites de référence, ses sites illustrant les principes géologiques et ses localités type dont beaucoup sont des standards stratigraphiques internationaux, la Grande-Bretagne offre un cas d’étude de l’histoire et du développement de géopatrimoine et de la géoconservation.
ملخص
يقدم هذا العمل نظرة عامة حول التاريخ الطويل للتحريات والكتابات المرتبطة بالجيولوجيا. هذه الأخيرة تطورت مع الوعي المتزايد بالظواهر الجيولوجية وخصائص المواد الجيولوجية الناتجة عن الاستخدامات المختلفة، وبالتالي فإن قيما مختلفة أعطيت للحجر، المعادن والفلزات والبلورات. هذا التاريخ يمتد من العصور القديمة إلى الجهود العلمية العلمانية التي وضعت المبادئ التأسيسية لعلم الجيولوجيا، وطورت تخصصاتها الأساسية والفرعية. وقد أدت أحداث ما بعد التصنيع ببريطانيا إلى أول جرد عالمي للجيومواقع ينبني على الحاجة إلى جيومحافظة. في حين أن الاهتمام بالجيولوجيا يرجع إلى بداية الحضارة، فان الاهتمام بالجيوتراث خلال السنوات الأخيرة يعود خصوصا إلى بريطانيا. فبمواقعها الكلاسيكية، ومواقعها المرجعية، ومواقعها التي توضح المبادئ الجيولوجية، والمواقع النموذجية حيث العديد منها هي معايير دولية لعلم الطبقات، فبريطانيا تقدم نموذجا لتاريخ وتطور الجيوتراث والجيومحافظة.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to acknowledge the assistance of Stewart Campbell (Countryside Council for Wales), Colin Prosser (English Nature), and Michael Stanley in relation to providing historical information for an earlier draft of the case study outlined in this paper. Editorial feedback prior to the review process was provided by Chris Cleal (National Museums & Galleries of Wales) and John Bailey (Murdoch University, Western Australia). Their assistance is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank the reviewers for their constructive comments, and Ezzoura Errami for the invitation to present this paper as a Keynote Address at the First International Conference on African and Arabian Geoparks held in November 2011 in El Jadida, Morocco.
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Brocx, M., Semeniuk, V. (2015). Geology: From Antiquity to Modern Day Geoheritage and Geoconservation, with Britain as a Case Study. In: Errami, E., Brocx, M., Semeniuk, V. (eds) From Geoheritage to Geoparks. Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10708-0_3
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