Geosites of Australia

 

 

 

 

Geosites of Australia:

preparing an inventory and framework for the Global Inventory of the IUGS

 

E. B. JOYCE

School of Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne VIC 3010 Australia

ebj@unimelb.edu.au

 

Abstract

 

A new inventory of geological and geomorphological sites is proposed for the continent of Australia. It will cover key sites and terrains on the Australian mainland, Tasmania, and Australian territories and islands. The inventory will be based on earlier listings by Cochrane & Joyce (1986), a short list prepared for GILGES & UNESCO by Joyce (1991), a revised GILGES list published in Cowie (1992), discussions in Joyce (1994a, 1994b, and 1995b), the Australian Heritage Commission's Register of the National Estate, and most recently an independent review for the Australian Heritage Commission (AHC) by Yeates (2001a & b) of earlier work.

 

Interested parties will be consulted to help define framework elements for Australian Geosites, and then select possible Geosites. The Geological Society of Australia will have a major involvement, and also the Australian Heritage Commission, as many geological sites are already listed on the Australian Heritage Commission's Register of the National Estate. Other groups to be consulted include the national government's geological survey, state government geological surveys and departments of environment and conservation, including the active forestry groups in Tasmania, and the national government's World Heritage section. This procedure will lead to the final selection and listing of Geosites for Australia.

 

 

Keywords: Geosites; inventory; framework; consultation, Australia.

 

 

 

A full paper is under preparation and will be published in the Proceedings of the ProGEO meeting which was held in Braga, Portugal in 2005.

 

This web page will provide details of future activity in the compiling of a set of Geosites of Australia.