The Inventory and Quantitative Assessment of Geodiversity as Strategic Tools for Promoting Sustainable Geoconservation and Geo-Education in the Peloritani Mountains (Italy)

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper is original and updated and represents a solid contribution to evaluate, preserve and better use the rich geoheritage in NE Sicily. 

I recommend a moderate revision of the writing

See my comments attaced directly to the annotated manuscript

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

All the 194 suggestions were accepted and included in the text.

Changes related to reviewer 1 are in green color (those of reviewer 2 are in yellow).

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors,

the paper is well written and applies a very useful methodology to assess geosites and geodiversity sites for educational purposes.

I suggest to address the geosites and geodiversity sites to the proper public. The proposed geosites and geodiversity sites are excellent examples of Alpine tectonics, structural geology and also stratigraphy topics. They may be useful natural laboratories for lectures in the fields devoted to university postgraduate and Ph.D. students as well as Young Researchers in Structural Geology and Tectonics.

Only minor corrections have been made along the text. Please, find the attached pdf file.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

REVIEWER 2

All the suggestions and the language improvements were accepted and reported in the following.

Please see the attachment (changes related to reviewer 1 were reported with green color)

The sentence at lines 9-12

was changed in:

consequently, it can happen that geosites are wrongly inventoried as geodiversity sites and vice versa or activities for scientific, educational, and touristic purposes are wrongly planned in geoheritage sites unprovided with requirements.

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1. iv) was added

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geologists being able to continue the scientific research.

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The sites showing peculiar geodiversity elements were studied to establish if they were suitable as geosites or geodiversity sites based on indicators used for the geoconservation. Considering that none

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Geosites and geodiversity sites are localized in situ.

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A geosite may be defined as a site showing geodiversity elements (fossils, minerals, 68 rocks, sedimentary successions, folds, faults, soils, waters) provided with high scientific 69 value/relevance as representative of the Earth’s history and evolution. The relevance of 70 geosites may be exclusively international and national [37]. The geological framework 71 represents the main topic related to the geological materials and processes that may allow 72 reconstructing the geological history of a determined area; the framework may be repre- 73 sented by different potential geosites [37]. 74 Geodiversity sites may present local, national, and international relevance and replace 75 the RIGS (Regionally Important Geological/Geomorphological Sites; [16, 20]). Geodiver- 76 sity sites have relevant educational and touristic value and no significant scientific value 77 [37].

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Protoglobigerina spp.

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shows

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to observe

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thrusts over

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inventoried geoheritage

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Boundary

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Upper

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The latter

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Ludlow (Ancoradella ploeckensis - Polygnathoides siluricus Zones) of the late Silurian to the earliest Emsian (Polygnathus kitabicus - Polygnathus excavatus Zones) of the Devonian [74]. The calcareous beds sampled in the southern part of the section yielded conodont associations indicating an age referable to the Emsian (Polygnathus excavatus Zone to the nothoperbonus – inversus Zones) of the Devonian

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The taxa found in these Paleozoic beds are represented by mm-sized dacryoconarids and conodont associations, referred to the early Emsian age (nothoperbonus Zone) of the Devonian

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Glass panel makes possible to evidence the main geodiversity elements by drawing them on the glass with colored markers posing the board in front of the landscape to describe. For each stop, if the visitors are young students or undergraduates, the visit may be enriched by the planning of games and dynamic activities devoted to the most simple geological concepts, such as folds and faults. Field trips and gamification are meaningful attractive experiences for students which, may contrast with the declining interest and low persistence documented among students [31]. Notwithstanding, considered the difficulty degree of the topics, the educational activities should be best addressed to postgraduate Geology students in Structural Geology, Tectonics, and Stratigraphy, and/or PhD students or Young Researchers.

As suggested, the abstract was modified as follow:

iii) possibility to promote educational initiatives among a broader public in some geosites and geodiversity sites, best addressed to postgraduate Geology students in Structural Geology, Tectonics, and Stratigraphy, and/or PhD students or Young Researchers; iv) to plan a geo route devoted to the geoknowledge transfer on the Alpine thrust tectonics and Miocene block rotations involving the arc-like structures such as the Calabria-Peloritani Arc and Paleozoic to Meso-Cenozoic stratigraphy.

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During the COVID-10 pandemic several laboratories could not take place, therefore natural laboratories for lectures in the fields are necessary and very useful for structural geology and stratigraphic studies.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx