Geosciences

26 pages, 299 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Science Communication Practices in UNESCO Global Geoparks: A Benchmark Analysis

by Joana Rodrigues, Elsa Costa e Silva and Diamantino Ínsua Pereira

Geosciences 2025, 15(3), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15030078 - 21 Feb 2025

UNESCO Global Geoparks address global environmental challenges and advance Sustainable Development Goals. As renowned institutions in geoscience communication, they are instrumental in raising awareness and promoting sustainable practices. However, there has been a notable lack of systematic research in this area. This study aims to fill this gap by benchmarking science communication strategies employed by Geoparks, identifying best practices and critical factors and offering data-driven insights to enhance management and strategic planning. The key findings of this study underscore the necessity for improved engagement and the adoption of more interactive and inclusive communication approaches. The research also reveals a significant disparity between current practices and contemporary trends in science communication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members' Collection Series: "Trends and Prospects in Geoheritage, Geoparks, and Geotourism")

17 pages, 25358 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Examining the Influence of Different Inventories on Shallow Landslide Susceptibility Modeling: An Assessment Using Machine Learning and Statistical Approaches

by Helen Cristina Dias, Daniel Hölbling and Carlos Henrique Grohmann

Geosciences 2025, 15(3), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15030077 - 20 Feb 2025

Abstract

Shallow landslides are one of the most common natural hazards in Brazil and worldwide. Susceptibility maps are powerful tools to analyze the spatial probability of shallow landslide occurrences. The outputs of susceptibility maps strongly depend on the type of landslide inventory used. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of different inventories on shallow landslide susceptibility modeling using the different methods LR, SVM, and XGBoost. Three different shallow landslide inventories were compiled following a single extreme rainfall event in the Ribeira Valley, São Paulo, Brazil. The results indicate that inventories generated through different landslide detection methods and imagery produce diverse susceptibility maps, as evidenced by the calculated Cohen’s Kappa coefficient values (0.33–0.79). The agreement among the models varied depending on the specific model: LR exhibited the highest agreement (0.79), whereas SVM (0.36) and XGBoost (0.33) showed lower numbers. Conversely, the accuracy numbers suggest that XGBoost achieved the highest success rate in terms of AUC (85–78%), followed by SVM (82–76%), and LR (80–71%). Inventories obtained through different detection methods, using distinct datasets, can directly influence the susceptibility assessment, leading to varying classifications of the same area. These findings demonstrate the importance of well-established landslide mapping criteria. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members' Collection Series: Natural Hazards)

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24 pages, 7306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Local Seismic Effects Responsible for Differentiated Damages in Historical City Centers: The Case Study of San Giustino’s Square (Chieti, Italy)

by Chiara Faraone, Fabio Colantonio and Giovanna Vessia

Geosciences 2025, 15(3), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15030076 - 20 Feb 2025

Abstract

To safeguard historic centers with masonry buildings in medium-high seismic areas, the local seismic response (LSR) should be used. These portions of the urban areas are commonly characterized by complex subsurface features (i.e., underground cavities, buried anthropic structures, and archeological remains) that could be responsible for unexpected amplifications at period intervals similar to the building’s ones. In this study, San Giustino’s Square (Chieti, Italy) was considered due to the differentiated damage caused by the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake mainshock (6 April 2009 at 3:32 CEST, 6.3 M_w). Out of the eight buildings overlooking the square, the structure that suffered the heaviest damage was the Justice Palace. Two-dimensional finite element analyses have been carried out in San Giustino’s square to predict the LSR induced by the seismic shear wave propagation. The influence of the Chieti hill, the anthropogenic shallow soil deposit, and the manmade cavity were investigated. The results outlined that the amplifications of the seismic shaking peaked between 0.2 and 0.4 s. The crest showed amplifications over a wide period range of 0.1–0.8 s with an amplification factor (FA) equal to 2. Throughout the square, FA = 2.0–2.4 was predicted due to the cavities and the filled soil thickness. The large amplified period range is considered responsible for the Justice Court damage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Natural Hazards)

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24 pages, 672 KiB

Open AccessReview

Major and Minor Causes of Geophagy–Lithophagy in Animals and Humans

by Alexander M. Panichev and Kirill S. Golokhvast

Geosciences 2025, 15(3), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15030075 - 20 Feb 2025

Abstract

The analyzed data set on the problem of geophagy–lithophagy shows that the instinctive desire, preserved in many groups of animals and humans, to eat mineral–crystalline substances—products of hypergenic transformation of various rocks in the most general form—is a manifestation of an evolutionarily conditioned universal way of regulating the material composition of the internal environment, as well as of many biological and physiological processes in the body. The effect of minerals on the organism can be divided into their main and secondary functions. The main cause of geophagy–lithophagy in animals and humans all over the world is the regulation of concentration and the ratio of rare earth elements in the neuroimmunoendocrine system, which controls metabolic processes and provides immune defense of the body. More than ten secondary causes of consumption of rare earth elements have been identified. In this review, we have attempted to summarize the data that we have collected on the causes of the phenomenon of the consumption of earth substance that we have identified in humans and various animal groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Biogeosciences)

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Geosciences, Volume 15, Issue 3 (March 2025) – 4 articles

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