This October 6th we want to wish everyone a very Happy UNESCO International Geodiversity Day!
Geodiversity Day is an opportunity to celebrate and promote all of the non-living elements of nature, from rocks and fossils, to soils, landscapes, and minerals! All these elements are not only wonderful for their beauty, but also for the way they support society – providing the basis for biodiversity and the resources we rely on for our communities.
This year’s theme is ‘One Earth, Many Stories’ gives people and opportunity to connect with geodiversity. Every landscape, every stone, and every fossil has a story to tell. Our plant is a record of history that dates back more than 4 billion years; one that can teach us about the origins of our natural environment and also where we, as animals, came from. As people, communities, and governments implement the Sustainable Development Goals, geodiversity provides a record of earth history that can help us prepare and respond to threats such as climate change. ‘One Earth, Many Stories’ encourages all of us to discover examples of geodiversity; in our landscape, in museums, in historic buildings; and delve deeper into the multitude of stories contained within planet Earth.
In Charnwood Forest you can discover more about the stories within our geodiversity through our geosites, including:
- Groby Pool, where the muds reveal the chemical imprint of the industrial revolution and the global impact of humans.
- Morley Quarry, with the oldest rocks in Charnwood Forest.
- Outwoods – Discovering Charnia, where you can explore how scientists have worked to uncover the hidden history of early animal life.
- Hill Hole, where visitors can explore how geology, biology, and human history interact within an old quarry.
- Forest Rock, where a stunning ‘cave’ lies at the centre of a quiet Geopark village.
International Geodiversity Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2021, following a grassroots campaign by geoscience organisations around the world. Geodiversity is all around us, and includes the parts of nature that aren’t alive; like minerals, fossils, soils, and landscapes. Geodiversity Day is a worldwide celebration to bring people together in promoting the many aspects of geodiversity, and its importance to society.
Want to discover more about Geodiversity Day and how it was created? This video, produced by the University of Oxford, was filmed here in Charnwood Forest, and details the process of how and why the international day was proclaimed.