Geological heritage database — Point geosites

Vector georeferenced database containing information on the location and characteristics of places of particular geological and geomorphological interest, whose value is mainly scientific, landscape and cultural. These places together form a corpus that can be defined as Geosites of the Emilia-Romagna Region, and represent the geological heritage of the territory. The points identify either geosites of limited territorial extension, thus effectively locatable with a point, or represent the centroid of geosites with the most important area extension (paperable at 1:5000 scale). The identification of these areas took place with the preliminary analysis of geological cartography, the study of soil and the filing of the geological object. The catalogue therefore collects data on outcrops, morphologies, caves and sources that during the surveys carried out by the Geology Area Soils and Seismics have returned particularly important and significant data from a scientific point of view. Among the geosites were selected, in accordance with Article 3 of Law No 09/2006, those of regional importance, for which it is particularly important to define forms of valorisation and protection. The data collected and structured through the GIS provide information on geographical location, geological characteristics, existing safeguards, for all surveyed areas, points and routes. The database also contains photographs, in-depth texts, any possibility of use, bibliographic indications and is continuously updated in relation to the evolution of knowledge, environmental dynamics and changes induced by human actions. The database of Geosites is the basic tool for the identification of places that present aspects of rarity and uniqueness, where there are important testimonies of the geological and geomorphological history of the regional territory.