Inverted Landforms of the Western Caucasus: Implications for Geoheritage, Geotourism, and Geobranding

Abstract

Relief inversion is the result of an unusual interplay between landform evolution and peculiarities of geological settings. Recent fieldwork in Mountainous Adygeya in the western part of the Greater Caucasus mountains has enabled the identification of several inverted landforms. The Gud and Gudok mountains constitute a “classical” inverted landform with the top corresponding to the syncline’s core, which consists of relatively hard Middle Jurassic crinoid limestones. The Kabanya mountain, with the nearby branch of the Skalisty range, has a similar geological setting, although the hard Upper Jurassic carbonates that form the monocline and overlie the syncline also contribute to the preservation of the topographical high above the structural low. The northwestern segment of the Skazhenny range is formed of relatively soft Lower–Middle Jurassic shales, and its inversion results from the protection of the syncline’s core by capping Upper Jurassic carbonates. These landforms represent progressive, transitional, and regressive inversion, respectively. Their relative diversity and significance in local topography allow them to be classified as geomorphosites, i.e., important elements of the geoheritage of Mountainous Adygeya. Each of these has certain touristic potential, and a geotouristic route allowing the comprehension of these geomorphosites from several viewpoints is proposed. Climbing these mountains for closer examination may combine geotourism and adventure tourism. Additionally, the Gud and Gudok landform “symbolizing” the geodiversity of the study area can be used for branding local food products such as cheese, which is popular among visitors.

Geoeducational assessments in Khon Kaen National Geopark, Thailand: implication for geoconservation and geotourism development

“…KKGp provides scientific, academic, and touristic potential and should thus be noted as a geoheritage suitable for geotourism and geoeducation similar to the Western Caucasus Mountain ( Ruban et al., 2022 ). This area is easily accessible and many recreational activities can be undertaken with numerous aesthetic views of nature based on the power of colour theory in the geoheritage of Ruban et al.…”

Pola Interaksi Komunitas Pendaki Gunung Bandung dalam Meningkatkan Perilaku Solidaritas

“…Sama halnya dengan laut, gunung menjadi salah satu bidang yang potensial selain berpotensi dalam bidang ekonomi yaitu sebagai sumber pendapatan bagi warga sekitarnya (Ruban, 2022;Zwart, 2022), gunung juga berpotensi dalam bidang sosial yaitu untuk mempersatukan individu yang memiliki ketertarikan yang sama sebagai penggiat alam bebas atau yang sering disebut sebagai pecinta alam (Cobos-Moreno, 2022). Awal mula munculnya pecinta alam di Indonesia memang tidak diketahui secara pasti sejarahnya (Fibrianto, 2020).…”

Educational Potential of Geoheritage: Textbook Localities from the Zagros and the Greater Caucasus

“…The other feature of interest is the 180 • panoramic view from the other side of the road (relative to the section). In addition to the high aesthetic properties of the landscape, one can see the Gud Mountain, which is a classical inverted landform [98], and the Big Tkhach Mountain, which is a Late Triassic reef [99,100] (Figure 5c). The established educational potential of the considered locality can be easily exploited by several Russian universities (e.g., Southern Federal University, Voronezh State University, and Saratov State University) organizing field practice for their students in the Republic of Adygeya.…”