Three of North America's geoheritage sites as in the lost 1863 exploration of Giovanni Capellini

Abstract

Geoparks and the valorization of sites with a strong geoheritage component are a new frontier for sustainable tourism. An UNESCO special recognition was established in 2015 and much work has been done for establishing sites in Europe and Asia, but only five localities have been recognized by UNESCO in North America. This paper discusses three sites relevant to geoheritage: Pulpit Rock in Massachusetts, Montmorency Falls in Quebec and Niagara Falls that were visited in 1863, by the newly appointed professor of geology at the Bologna University, Giovanni Capellini, who sailed for a four-month journey across north-eastern North America. Through his travels, he made sketches, took notes, and collected more than 2,000 specimens that together provide a depth of perspective on the importance of the geoheritage of sites he visited. We chose these sites, among the many visited by Capellini, because Niagara Falls is now seeking the UNESCO recognition, and the other two, though no longer fully accessible (Montmorency Falls and Pulpit Rock) remain important tourist sites and areas of geological interest.