PHOTO CHRONICLE

Tuesday 05.09.2017

"Nine islands - One Geopark", this is the motto of the Azores: small lands of fire and water, almost halfway between Europe and America... Sleeping volcanoes with a green mantle in every season ... and "the immense Atlantic opposite"...

Tuesday 05.09.2017

EGN Meeting and Conference are held in Ponta Delgada, the most important town of the St. Miguel Island.
Several palaces and churches of this town show architectural lines and elements in manueline style.
The main building stone is black basalt.

Tuesday 05.09.2017

During the first day the EGN Advisory Committee carries out its work. It is also the first time for Alessia Amorfini.
 

Wednesday 06.09.2017

All second day is dedicated to the 40th EGN Coordination Committee Meeting, attended by representatives from 70 Geoparks belonging to 23 European Countries.

Thursday 07.09.2017

The Opening Ceremony of the 14th European Geoparks Conference takes place in the "Teatro Micaelense" Cultural and Conference Centre.
The title of the Conference is "Geoparks: pathways of sustainable tourism for development".

Thursday 07.09.2017

The first momentum of the Opening Ceremony includes greetings and welcoming messages from Luis Botelho (President of the Azores UNESCO Global Geopark), Nickolas Zouros (Coordinator of the EGN and GGN), Patrick Mc Keever (Segretary of the IGGP-UNESCO), Ana Martinho (Member of the Portuguese National Commission for UNESCO) and Vasco Cordeiro (President of the Government of the Azores).

Thursday 07.09.2017

A musical intermezzo of the "Conservatório Regional de Ponta Delgada" with the traditional and popular music, including the "hymn" of the Azores UNESCO Global Geopark: "Ilhas de Bruma".

Thursday 07.09.2017

Tony Ramsay and Salomè Menezes are the chairmen during the afternoon session about "Education, public awareness and communication".

Thursday 07.09.2017

Alessia Amorfini presents her speech "Project Rains & Ruins, an educational tool by the Apuan Alps UNESCO Global Geopark (Italy) for disaster risk reduction", also on behalf of Antonio Bartelletti e Giuseppe Ottria.

Thursday 07.09.2017

Aniello Aloia (Italian Geoparks Coordinator) during his enlivened presentation about "Sustainable tourism example of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park multidesignation UNESCO labels (WHS, M&B, Geopark, Mediterranean Diet), with Domenico Guida as coauthor.

Thursday 07.09.2017

I-Poster session with Giuseppe Ottria (on the right), during his illustration on structural geosites in the Apuan Alps. The title of the digital poster is "Updating the geosites inventory of the Apuan Alps UNESCO Global Geopark (Italy): three new structural geosites in metamorphic rocks". The coauthors are Alessia Amorfini, Antonio Bartelletti, Maria Cristina Giovagnoli.

Thursday 07.09.2017

Marco Firpo (in the centre of the image) presents his poster "Promoting and conserving the paleontological heritage in Beigua UNESCO global Geopark (Liguria Region - North West Italy)". Coauthors are Maria Cristina Bonci, Maurizio Burlando, Lorenza Ghisu and Eleni Lutaj.

Thursday 07.09.2017

Maurizio Burlando during his speech about "Networking actions to develop and to support sustainable tourism in the Beigua UNESCO Global Geopark (Liguria Region - North West Italy)".

Thursday 07.09.2017

Opening of the (Geo)Fair Azores 2017 in the Pavilhão do Mar, near the Ponta Delgada harbor, to promote European geotourism.

Thursday 07.09.2017

Several representatives from the Italian Geoparks pose with Patrick Mc Keever in the national stand.

Friday 08.09.2017

Mid Conference Field Trip by bus in St. Miguel Island among volcano calderas and volcanic lakes.

Friday 08.09.2017

First stop in Furnas village inside the Furnas volcano caldera.

Friday 08.09.2017

This important geosite hosts a particularly active fumarolic field. The yellow colour of the water is due to corn cooking inside.

Friday 08.09.2017

The Geopark guide explains the formation and evolution of St. Miguel Island due to the effusive activity of various volcanic systems.

Friday 08.09.2017

Second stop of the field trip in Furnas lake and its geothermal area.

Friday 08.09.2017

On these tiny volcanoes of dirt, the villagers cook a real  specialty of the island - "Cozido das Furnas" - a meat stew cooked using natural heat of the fumarolic field.

Friday 08.09.2017

Third stop in Pico do Ferro viewpoint, where you can overlook the Furnas volcano caldera (a 8 x 5.6 km depression), its lake and the site of two historical eruptions (about 1444 and 1630).

Friday 08.09.2017

Climate and soil of St. Miguel facilitate the cultivation of the tea camellia.

Friday 08.09.2017

Fourth stop in the Caldeira Velha geosite, another geothermal area with a warm spring and a boiling mud-pool fumarole.

Friday 08.09.2017

A tropical landscape of lush exotic vegetation, almost Carboniferous, with many Australian tree ferns (Cyathea cooperi) along the stream.
 

Friday 08.09.2017

Endemic plants - such as the Azores ivy (Hedera azorican) - live in the shady undergrowth of the laurifille forest.
 

Friday 08.09.2017

The suggestive landscape of the Fogo volcano caldera, the youngest and smaller of this island (3.4 x 2.2 km), with Lagoa do Fogo inside.

Friday 08.09.2017

The grassy slopes of this caldera are often covered by the Sphagnum cushions.

Friday 08.09.2017

The usual group photo at the end of the field trip.

Saturday 09.09.2017

Last day of the Conference in the "Teatro Micaelense" Cultural and Conference Centre. The programme proposes lectures and lessons again.
Violet Masé presents "Sustainable mobility", a contribution written together with Joseph Masé and Matteo Viviani.

Saturday 09.09.2017

The highlight of the day is the workshop "Geohazards in Geoparks". Charalampos Fassoulas - catalyst of the homonymous working group - introduces the topic with his contribute "Building resilient Geoparks in Europe".

Saturday 09.09.2017

Alessia Amorfini proposes to further develop the educational tools of the project "Rains & Ruins" - promoted in the Apuan Alps - through an inductive method, comparing the work of this Geopark with the experiences coming from other Geoparks.
The title of this proposal is "From the Geoparks to the World: a common vision of the flood risk by an inductive approach".

Saturday 09.09.2017

Edoardo Dellarole speech about "Natural Hazard and Climate Change: experiences from Sesia-Val Grande UGG".

Saturday 09.09.2017

The speakers' table of the workshop. From left to right: Edoardo Dellarole, Alessia Amorfini, Nickolas Zouros and Charalampos Fassoulas.

Saturday 09.09.2017

The presentation of 8th International Conference of UNESCO Global Geoparks, scheduled from 8th to 14th September 2018 in Adamello Brenta UNESCO Global Geopark: ...pictures of the Dolomites and words by Joseph and Violet Masè.

Saturday 09.09.2017

The 2016 revalidation prize is delivered to Fausto Amico (Rocca di Cerere UNESCO Global Geopark).

Saturday 09.09.2017

Same prize to Maurizio Burlando and Marco Firpo (Beigua UNESCO Global Geopark).

Saturday 09.09.2017

The last delivery of this prize to Joseph and Violet Masè (Adamello Brenta UNESCO Global Geopark). 

Saturday 09.09.2017

The final image is dedicated to Ponta da Ferraria geosite, a protected area classified due to its geodiversity and outstanding geological heritage.
This place is a bit the symbol of the Azores archipelago. The signs of the last eruption in 1140 are still clearly visible. In 1811, few kilometres from Ponta da Ferraria, a submarine volcanic eruption formed a small island: ilha Sabrina. In a short time, it was quickly destroyed by sea erosion.

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