Geology does not only shape the physical environment in which societies develop. Rocks, landforms, geological and hydrological processes, water bodies and other abiotic features also influence how people perceive, use, interpret and culturally appropriate their surroundings. Through these interactions, geodiversity becomes embedded in cultural landscapes, local identities, traditions, beliefs, myths and other forms of tangible and intangible heritage.
Cultural geology – also developed in some scholarly traditions under the term Culture Geology – provides an interdisciplinary framework for exploring relationships between geological environments and human societies, while geomythology examines how geological phenomena, extreme events and landscape features are interpreted, remembered and transmitted through myths, legends and oral traditions. Together, these approaches reveal dimensions of geodiversity and geoheritage that may remain difficult to capture through purely geoscientific assessment.
Building on the concept of mythogenic landscapes, we invite contributions examining how abiotic features and processes act as culture-shaping factors. Geological, geomorphological and hydrological characteristics can influence myths and imaginaries, settlement patterns, sacred and monumental landscapes, cultural practices, architecture, material culture, the use of geological materials, place names, local knowledge, and perceptions of environmental change and natural hazards. Conversely, cultural interpretations may influence how geological features are valued, protected and incorporated into heritage.
Particular attention will be given to intangible geoheritage, geocultural heritage, geomythology, geofolklore, hydromythology, Indigenous and local knowledge, cultural perceptions of geological materials, geological materials in architecture and archaeological heritage, collective memory of geological processes and extreme events, toponymy, geoconservation, geoeducation, geotourism and public engagement.
We welcome studies combining geosciences with archaeology, history, anthropology, folklore studies, ethnography, cultural geography and heritage studies. The session aims to bring together geoscientists and scholars from the humanities and social sciences to develop a holistic understanding of relationships between people and the abiotic environment and of how cultural meanings contribute to the recognition, interpretation and protection of geoheritage.