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Nataly Paz-Salas a Geology Engineering student at the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) , and junior researcher at the Center for Research and Projects Associated with Earth Sciences (CIPAT), Ecuador. Her research interests includes Bibliometrics, Geological Processes, Geotourism, Geoparks, and Volcanic Geomorphology. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the International Information and Engineering Technology Association (IIETA). She has also contributed articles from international conferences where her research has been presented in Proceedings of the Spanish Society for the Defense of the Geological and Mining Heritage (SEDPGYM) among others.
The inventory and assessment of a geosite in a territory provides a sound basis for the protection and use of its geological heritage. This article aims to evaluate the most relevant geosites in the province of Chimborazo (Ecuador), applying the Spanish Inventory of Sites of Geological Interest (IELIG, in Spanish) method, and proposing alternatives for geotourism development in the studied area. The methodological process was based on: (i) the inventory and preliminary selection of geosites; (ii) a semi-quantitative geosite assessment and proposal of travel itineraries for geotourism; and (iii) the application of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) matrix to establish geotourism development strategies within a framework of sustainability. The global assessment of scientific, tourist, and academic interests demonstrates that 25% of the 20 evaluated geosites have very high interest and 75% have high interest. The top three geosites with the highest degrees of interest are the Chimborazo Volcano, known as ‘Earth’s Closest Point to the Sun’, the Pallatanga geological fault, and the geosite named Comunidad Cacha. The SWOT analysis reveals that travel itineraries that combine cultural heritage elements and geosites could offer a real alternative for the region’s sustainable development through geotourism.
Paúl Carrión-Mero; César Borja-Bernal; Gricelda Herrera-Franco; Fernando Morante-Carballo; María Jaya-Montalvo; Alfonso Maldonado-Zamora; Nataly Paz-Salas; Edgar Berrezueta. Geosites and Geotourism in the Local Development of Communities of the Andes Mountains. A Case Study. Sustainability 2021, 13, 4624 .
AMA StylePaúl Carrión-Mero, César Borja-Bernal, Gricelda Herrera-Franco, Fernando Morante-Carballo, María Jaya-Montalvo, Alfonso Maldonado-Zamora, Nataly Paz-Salas, Edgar Berrezueta. Geosites and Geotourism in the Local Development of Communities of the Andes Mountains. A Case Study. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (9):4624.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaúl Carrión-Mero; César Borja-Bernal; Gricelda Herrera-Franco; Fernando Morante-Carballo; María Jaya-Montalvo; Alfonso Maldonado-Zamora; Nataly Paz-Salas; Edgar Berrezueta. 2021. "Geosites and Geotourism in the Local Development of Communities of the Andes Mountains. A Case Study." Sustainability 13, no. 9: 4624.
The relevant geomorphological characteristics of territory represent an essential part of its natural heritage. They are also an asset to be exploited for stimulating socio-economic development. The “Ruta Escondida” in Ecuador constitutes a historical place full of culture and landscapes that have been shaped over time by geological and geomorphological processes. Among the geomorphological features of the study area, volcanic cones, hilltops, terraces, foothills and glacial valleys stand out. The aims of this work were: (1) to characterize 18 places of geomorphological interest, located in the northern part of the Ruta Escondida and (2) to propose alternatives (geotourism) to contribute to the local development of the area. The applied methodology included: (1) the compilation of geomorphological elements; (2) the assessment of geomorphosites using the Inventario Español de Lugares de Interés Geológico (IELIG) method and (3) a strengths–opportunities–weaknesses–threats analysis of the contribution and influence of geomorphosites in the development of the study area. With this work, it was possible to determine that all the analyzed geomorphological sites have a high and very high interest. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis revealed that the geomorphosites could provide significant added value to the development of geotourism on the route, complementing the already known cultural and historical attractions.
Paúl Carrión-Mero; Alicia Ayala-Granda; Sthefano Serrano-Ayala; Fernando Morante-Carballo; Maribel Aguilar-Aguilar; Miguel Gurumendi-Noriega; Nataly Paz-Salas; Gricelda Herrera-Franco; Edgar Berrezueta. Assessment of Geomorphosites for Geotourism in the Northern Part of the “Ruta Escondida” (Quito, Ecuador). Sustainability 2020, 12, 8468 .
AMA StylePaúl Carrión-Mero, Alicia Ayala-Granda, Sthefano Serrano-Ayala, Fernando Morante-Carballo, Maribel Aguilar-Aguilar, Miguel Gurumendi-Noriega, Nataly Paz-Salas, Gricelda Herrera-Franco, Edgar Berrezueta. Assessment of Geomorphosites for Geotourism in the Northern Part of the “Ruta Escondida” (Quito, Ecuador). Sustainability. 2020; 12 (20):8468.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaúl Carrión-Mero; Alicia Ayala-Granda; Sthefano Serrano-Ayala; Fernando Morante-Carballo; Maribel Aguilar-Aguilar; Miguel Gurumendi-Noriega; Nataly Paz-Salas; Gricelda Herrera-Franco; Edgar Berrezueta. 2020. "Assessment of Geomorphosites for Geotourism in the Northern Part of the “Ruta Escondida” (Quito, Ecuador)." Sustainability 12, no. 20: 8468.
The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of academic research on volcanic geomorphology, through the use of bibliometric analysis and bibliographic visualization maps for the discernment of its growing interest by the academy in the last 30 years. It is sustained on the publications indexed in the Scopus database between 1956 and 2019, obtaining relevant information on scientific production, following the methodological structure of a rigorous bibliometric process, which ranges from the search for descriptors or keywords to the configuration of visualizations of tables and maps that allowed to consider the contributions by authors, institutions, journals and topics that have shaped the evolution of this field of study. The generations of bibliometric maps allowed understanding the intellectual structure of the field of study made up of 707 articles where the analysis of co-occurrence of author keywords showed six main lines of research that, combined with the co-citation maps, allowed understanding the breadth of intellectual structure. Extensive information is provided on the thematic that other investigations partially addressed or failed to capture their current status. Considering that the results allow us to identify areas of current interest and the potential of research in volcanic geomorphology.
Paúl Carrión-Mero; Néstor Montalván-Burbano; Nataly Paz-Salas; Fernando Morante-Carballo. Volcanic Geomorphology: A Review of Worldwide Research. Geosciences 2020, 10, 347 .
AMA StylePaúl Carrión-Mero, Néstor Montalván-Burbano, Nataly Paz-Salas, Fernando Morante-Carballo. Volcanic Geomorphology: A Review of Worldwide Research. Geosciences. 2020; 10 (9):347.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaúl Carrión-Mero; Néstor Montalván-Burbano; Nataly Paz-Salas; Fernando Morante-Carballo. 2020. "Volcanic Geomorphology: A Review of Worldwide Research." Geosciences 10, no. 9: 347.