UNESCO Geoparks in Austria

Preface by Dr. Eva Eva Nowotny, President of the Austrian UNESCO Commission 4
Experiencing the adventure of geology firsthand in the UNESCO Geoparks of Austria – Preface by Dr. Heinz Kollmann, chairman of the Forum of Austrian UNESCO Geoparks 5
Preface by the editors 6
UNESCO-Geopark “Ore of the Alps” (Pongau / Salzburg) (Horst Ibetsberger, Gerhard Feitzinger and Hans Steyrer) 8
Copper Ore Trail 26
Waterfall Trail 42
Heukareck, Paarseen and Schuhflicker 44
Liechtensteinklamm (Liechtenstein Gorge) 45
UNESCO-Geopark Karawanken / Karavanke (Walter Poltnig, Mojca Bedjanicˇ, Gerald Hartmann, Suzana Fajmut Štrucl,
Christian Varch, Lenka Rojs, Antonia Weissenbacher, Primož Vodovnik,
Franz Glaser, Uroš Herlec and Fritz Klaura) 47
Geotrail Mela Koschuta 64
Geotrail Hainzˇ valley 66
Geotrail Hochobir 69
Geotrail Kärntner Storschitz 72
Geotrail Petzen 75
Geotrail Eisenkappel South 78
UNESCO-Geopark Karnische Alpen (Hans P. Schönlaub and Gerlinde Krawanja-Ortner) 82
Geotrail Plöckenpass – vom Urknall zum Gailtal 96
Geotrail Garnitzenklamm – gigantische Kräfte am Werk 104
Geotrail Laas – Versteinerter Urwald – Lebendige Geologie 112
Geotrail Wolayer See – Wandern auf Meeresgrund 117
Geotrail Zollnersee – Alpine Landschaft mit Geschichte 123
Geotrail Nassfeld – entlang fossiler Meeresstrände 129
The Nature and Geopark Styrian Eisenwurzen (Oliver Gulas and Heinz Kollmann) 137
Exploring geology along the GeoTrail of the GeoVillage Gams 148
Discovering the “Seven Lakes” in Wildalpen 155
In Devil’s “Church” – Spitzenbach Gorge in St. Gallen 164
Anisian times – A geological hike in Landl 167
List of geographical names 174

Dear readers, with the 5th volume of the series “Nature and Culture Adventure Guides of the University of Salzburg” we come back to the editor’s own field of competence. Two of us (H. Steyrer and E. Hejl) are geologists; H. Ibetsberger is a geographer with scientific skills in geomorphology and quaternary landscape evolution. However, the aim of a Global Geopark Network is not restricted to the needs of professional geologists or scientists in general. Geoparks belong to a geological world heritage. They are dedicated to landscape and geotope protection, to the transfer of knowledge, and to the concepts of sustainable development and green tourism. The Global Geopark Network (GGN) was founded in 2004 as an international non-profit organization under the patronage of the UNESCO. Since 17th November 2015, geoparks can be certified as “UNESCO Global Geopark” and thus become members of the network. The certification is tied with strong obligations, is awarded for a period of four years, and can be prolongated for other four years in case of a positive evaluation. Apart from geotope protection, touristic and educational concepts are assessed. The certification as “UNESCO Global Geopark” does not imply a protection by national law but can be a stimulus for the foundation of nature reserves or protected landscapes. At present, a total number of 120 “UNESCO Global Geoparks” exist in 33 countries – most of them in Europe and in the People’s Republic of China”, but also in Brazil, Uruguay, Canada, Japan, and Vietnam. The four Austrian Geoparks are presented in this volume. They are named “Naturepark Eisenwurzen” (Styria), Geopark “Ore of the Alps” (Salzburg), Geopark Carnic Alps (Carinthia), and “Geopark Karwanken/Karavanke” (Carinthia and Slovenia). We hope that the fifth volume of our Series can stimulate you for the visit of at least one or even more Geoparks. With its size of only 15 × 21 cm it fits in every handbag or rucksack. We give our sincere thanks to the authors whose expertise and enthusiasm were a basic requirement for the production of this book. We wish our readers many recreative and informative moments in the field. Ewald Hejl, Horst Ibetsberger, and Hans Steyrer