Nicanor Prendes

Geosites and geoheritage are key resources for civic education, environmental awareness, and territorial understanding, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), regions of exceptional geological richness but limited institutionalization of geoconservation. In Peru, despite advances such as the UNESCO Global Geopark of Colca, a weak integration persists between geological heritage and national educational systems. This study adapts an international methodology for the functional assessment of geosites to the Peruvian context, producing a practical, replicable, and scalable tool for settings with limited institutional resources. The multicriteria approach evaluates seven functional variables, including target audience, accessibility, landscape diversity, and educational potential, focusing on educational and geotouristic dimensions. The assessment was applied to five representative geosites: Cordillera Negra, Pongo de Rentema, Añashuayco ashlar quarries and terraces in the Chili Valley, Nevado Coropuna, and Georuta Miraflores–Huaquis, complemented by interdisciplinary validation using the “8G” model and expert consensus via a modified Delphi process. Results highlight the high educational potential of these sites and underscore the value of integrating geoheritage assessment into geoscience teaching. Future challenges include expanding regional validation, systematizing educational criteria, and strengthening collaboration with local communities and managers, contributing to more effective and socially embedded geoconservation across LAC.

The petrographic and petrophysical characteristics of three varieties of ignimbrites used in the architectural heritage of Arequipa (southwest Peru) are analyzed. The modal classification QAFP and TAS diagram discriminate their dacitic nature. Mercury injection porometry revealed very high porosity: 46.5% for white and beige ignimbrites, and 35.5% for the pink variety. Ignimbrites contain intrusions of vulcanodetrital fragments and vacuoles that influence their predominantly non-linear mechanical behavior. The results of water absorption by capillarity (C) and ultrasound pulse velocity (UPV) demonstrate a slight anisotropy for the beige variety and near isotropy for white and pink ignimbrites, which justify the randomness of the application of the ashlars in the masonry and in the selection of the faces to carve. Surfaces with hollows in the white and beige ignimbrites are the result of the erosion of the acicular pumice that fills the vacuoles.

The petrographic and petrophysical characteristics of three varieties of ignimbrites used in the architectural heritage of Arequipa (southwest Peru) are analyzed. The modal classification QAFP and TAS diagram discriminate their dacitic nature. Mercury injection porometry revealed very high porosity: 46.5% for white and beige ignimbrites and 35.5% for the pink variety. Ignimbrites contain intrusions of vulcanodetrital fragments and vacuoles that influence their predominantly non-linear mechanical behavior. Results of water absorption by capillarity (C) and ultrasound pulse velocity (UPV) demonstrated a slight anisotropy for the beige variety and near isotropy for white and pink ignimbrites, which justify the randomness of the application of the ashlars in the masonry and in the selection of the faces to carve. Surfaces with hollows in the white and beige ignimbrites are the result of the erosion of the acicular pumice that fills the vacuoles.