In order to decipher the paleo-depositional environments, during the Late Jurassic to Early Eocene syn-rift stage, at the margins of the Ionian basin, two different areas with exposed long sequences have been selected, Kastos Island (external margin) and Araxos peninsula (internal margin), and were examined by means of microfacies analysis and biostratigraphy. On Kastos Island, based on lithological and sedimentological features, the following depositional environments have been recognized: an open marine/restricted environment prevailed during the Early Jurassic (“Pantokrator” limestones), changing upwards into deep-sea and slope environments during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous (Vigla limestones). The Upper Cretaceous (Senonian limestones) is characterized by a slope environment, whereas during the Paleogene, deep-sea and toe of slope conditions prevailed. In Araxos peninsula, Lower Cretaceous deposits (“Vigla” limestones) were accumulated in a deep-sea environment; Upper Cretaceous ones (Senonian limestones) were deposited in slope or toe of slope conditions. Paleocene limestones correspond to a deep-sea environment. In Araxos peninsula, changes occurred during the Cretaceous, whereas on Kastos Island, they occurred during the Paleocene/Eocene, related to different stages of tectonic activity in the Ionian basin from east to west.

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This study presents sedimentological, palaeoecological and geochemical data from a shallow Mediterranean coastal lagoon which has been severely influenced by human intervention over the last 70 years. The Gialova Lagoon is protected by international conventions and is listed in the Natura 2000 European Community Network as Special Protection Area (SPA) and Site of Community Importance (SCI). The spatial variability of sediment characteristics such as grain size, total organic carbon (TOC) and moment measures, mean, sorting, kurtosis and skewness were calculated. Moreover, micro- and macrofossil and sediment geochemical analyses were carried out on six gravity core samples. Study of the above parameters indicates that the anthropogenic impact and intervention are reflected in the micro- (ostracods, foraminifera, charophytes) and macrofossil (molluscs) taxa corresponding to different depositional environmental facies, representing a brackish lagoon with the influence of (a) fresh water inflow, (b) shallow marine environment and (c) hypoxic and dystrophic conditions. The geochemical characteristics and the calculation of the degree of sediment contamination using enrichment factors (EF), contamination factors (Cif) and the index of geo-accumulation (Igeo) indicate a recent relative improvement of the lagoon towards the upper layers of the gravity cores, rendering the lagoon as unpolluted to moderately polluted. This combinatorial study of sediment geochemical characteristics, as well as the downcore micro- and macrofossil assemblages, can be considered as a baseline for future monitoring in accordance with European Union directives, and for any future engineering interventions for the lagoon environmental maintenance and conservation; as this is the first time that geochemical and downcore palaeoecological data have been presented from this lagoon.

Lithics and cut-marked mammal bones, excavated from the paleo-lake Marathousa 1 (MAR-1) sediments in the Megalopolis Basin, southern Greece, indicate traces of hominin activity occurring along a paleo-shoreline ca. 444,000 years (444 ka) ago. However, the local environment and climatic conditions promoting hominin activity in the area during the MIS12 glacial remain largely unknown. In order to reconstruct the paleo-environment including paleo-lake levels and governing paleo-climatic factors on a high temporal resolution, we analyzed a 6-meter-long sediment sequence from the archeological site MAR-1 and a Bayesian age model was computed for a better age constrain of the different sedimentary units. A multiproxy approach was applied using ostracods, sponge spicules, diatoms, grain sizes, total organic carbon, total inorganic carbon and conventional X-ray fluorescence analysis. The results from the site represent a protected region surrounded by high mountains under the constant influence of water, either as a shallow partly anoxic water body surrounded by reed belts (>463–457 ka, <434–427 ka), a riverine-lake deltaic system (∼457–448 ka), a floodplain (∼448–444 ka) or a seasonal freshwater pond (∼444–436 ka). The local changes of water levels resemble large trends and rhythms of regional records from the Mediterranean and appear to directly respond to sea surface temperature (SST) changes of the North Atlantic. In particular, when the SSTs are high, more moisture reaches the study area and vice versa. Additional water reaches MAR-1 through melting of the surrounding glaciers after brief warm phases during MIS12 in the Mediterranean realm, which leads to the formation of smaller fresh water ponds, where also the horizon of the excavated remains is placed. Such ponds, rich in ostracods and other microorganisms, provided mammals and humans valuable resources, such as potable water, a wide range of plant species and hunting opportunities. These deposits therefore bear a high archeological potential. The results from our study suggest that the Megalopolis Basin could have served as a refugium for hominins and other organisms due to its capacity to retain freshwater bodies during glacial and interglacial periods.

The assessment of the geosites of Chelmos-Vouraikos UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) was carried out based on an established methodology for the evaluation of geoparks’ geosites. Such assessments should be used for sustainable development and geoconservation in geoparks. The selected methodology is based on a wider range of criteria concerning the overall value of each geosite, compared to other locations. Each criterion was scored and then three indices, Vedu, Vprot and Vedu were estimated for each geosite. The application of this methodology at Chelmos-Vouraikos UGGp has produced results which not only highlight the value of each geosite, but also provide ways for their utilization. The assessment of the 40 geosites of the geopark, identified geosites with high educational and touristic value (such as Portes–Triklia and the Cave of the Lakes), while geosites with increased protection-need value (the Tectonic Graben of Kalavryta) were also highlighted. Therefore, the assessment results will be used by the geopark to plan the effective management of the geosites based on their strengths and weaknesses, and which thus will promote the geopark and will contribute to the sustainable development of the local communities. The proposed methodology uses all possible criteria for its impartial application and despite a few minor problems that have been identified, it is considered appropriate for the assessment of geosites in Geoparks. The application of such evaluation methodologies is considered crucial for the development, protection and touristic promotion of geoparks.