Outstanding Intrinsic and Extrinsic Values of the Geological Heritage of the Dolomites (Italy)

The Dolomites (Italy) were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List because of their exceptional beauty and unique landscape, together with their scientific importance from the geological and geomorphological point of view. The present article is an in-depth study of previous investigations (Panizza in Geoheritage 1:33–42, 2009) some examples concerning all the components of geological heritage, not just the geomorphological one, are described and it discusses into perspective their intrinsic and extrinsic values in a UNESCO World Heritage context. They have been qualitatively assessed by attributing them an “intrinsic” value, mainly of local importance with reference to the territory of the Dolomites, or an “extrinsic” value, i.e. with reference to a wider context of regional or global importance. The examples concern stratigraphy, geomorphology, tectonics, petrography and palaeontology. Once the main characteristics and values of a specific site have been identified and evaluated as belonging to geological heritage (for example, from the stratigraphic viewpoint), other secondary geological values may be attributed (for example, also within the field of palaeontology). On the other hand, also other “non-geological” (cultural, scenic, archaeological, socioeconomic, ethical etc.) values can be added, although they can be emphasised in the description of a geosite or geomorphosite in order to accentuate their value. The examples illustrated can bring about a constructive contribution to the conceptual definition and methodological explanation of research on geological heritage. In the specific case of the Dolomites, comparative analyses have shown that they are unique in the world and witness a long interval of the Earth’s history in an extraordinary way.