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Geoheritage Assessment of the Geosites in Tuwaiq Mountain, Saudi Arabia: in the Perspective of Geoethics, Geotourism, and Geoconservation

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Abstract

Tuwaiq Mountain is in the central portion of Saudi Arabia and is characterised by several denuded landscapes and geological features. A total of 10 geosites have been identified for the quantitative assessment. Scarp, cuesta, mesa, butte, pinnacles, gully network, wadi, and cave are the geomorphological features, and Jurassic fossil remains are part of the geological features. Geoheritage score was prepared based on scientific, educational, tourism, and degradational values. The study indicates that most of the sites fall within moderate to high scores. Low to high degradation risk of the geosites suggests the need for geoconservation. Geoethics is also a significant aspect of generating local awareness of the value of geomorphological and geological features with outstanding values and potential for tourism development.

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Data Availability

All the data generated based on the field survey. The out-come of the analysis can be used for the policy maker to promote geoheritage and geotourism.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support of the Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies (CEMS), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, to conduct the research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

    Subhajit Sen, Mohamed Omar Abouelresh, Ali Hassan Al-Musabeh & Fahad Saleh Al-Ismail

  2. K.L University, Vaddeswaram, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, 522302, India

    Abhijit Santra

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  1. Subhajit Sen
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  2. Mohamed Omar Abouelresh
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  3. Abhijit Santra
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  4. Ali Hassan Al-Musabeh
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  5. Fahad Saleh Al-Ismail
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Contributions

SS contributed a leading role in initiating this research and wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors commented on previous versions. SS, MOA, and AHA-M were involved in fieldwork. FSA-I supported the execution of this research work. AS is involved in data analysis and manuscript preparation.

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Correspondence to Subhajit Sen.

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Sen, S., Abouelresh, M.O., Santra, A. et al. Geoheritage Assessment of the Geosites in Tuwaiq Mountain, Saudi Arabia: in the Perspective of Geoethics, Geotourism, and Geoconservation. Geoheritage 16, 2 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-023-00908-8

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