THE ITALIAN REGISTER OF NATURAL HYPOGEAN GEOSITES: A PRELIMINARY REPORT

Abstract

L. Piccini et al., The italian register of natural hypogean geosites: a preliminary report. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 2005).
Since a couple of years, the Italian Speleological Society (SSI) is carrying out a project for the realisation of a national inventory of
Hypogean Natural Geosites (Geositi Ipogei Naturali = GIN). A GIN can be defined as "every subterranean natural void that represents
exceptional naturalistic and/or cultural value, in the widest sense, in at least one of the following features: its intrinsic characteristics,
its geological, geomorphologic or hydrogeological context, its morphodynamic significance, its content of hypogean landscape elements or significant materials or, finally, for the use Man has made of it in time". The exceptionality mostly regards the scientific interest of the already performed or potential researches (global, European, national, regional or local relevance of the acquired or acquirable information), the historical and cultural interest and elements such as beauty, dimension, rarity, representativity and didactic or cultural interest. As a GIN, entire cave complexes, single caves or single passages of caves can be chosen. Five types of GIN have been identified. GIN for the intrinsic characteristics of the cave: concerns particularly well preserved parts of caves and their morphologies (erosion and corrosion forms), but also caves derived from particular speleogenetic processes (e.g. hyperkarst caves) or formed in special types of rock (e.g. gypsum caves). GIN for the interest of the hosting karst area: in this type, caves with no special interest but representing important karst areas can be inserted. GIN for the nature of the outcropping rocks: caves that allow a better understanding of petrography, mineralogy, tectonics, stratigraphy or palaeontology of the area. GIN for the material contained in them: caves with scientifically important sediments, speleothems, evidences of palaeo-seismicity, palaeo-environmental indicators, archaeological or palaeontological deposits. GIN for the importance in Man's history: caves used by Man in prehistory, but also the ones used more recently as places of cult, or caves important for the development of the speleological and karst explorations and studies. For all these types of GIN, which can also coexist in the same site, the exceptional conditions of the phenomena have to be maintained, having different scales ranging from local up to global importance. A first list of Italian GIN has been compiled by a Working Group that has been instituted by the Italian Speleological Society, composed of the Regional Responsibles of the Cave Registers and several experts. For every Italian region no more than 1% of the total amount of natural caves has been identified as GIN. In this paper a preliminary overview of some Italian GIN is given, reporting their names, distribution, type and importance. This provisional list already shows the exceptionality of the Italian hypogean heritage on a European and global scale and these results encourage the Working Group to continue this research that aims for a better understanding and a growth of public awareness of this incredible speleological heritage.