The Volcanic History of the UNESCO Global Geopark Bohemian Paradise

Abstract

Central Europe and the area of the UNESCO Global Geopark Bohemian Paradise have been affected by global tectonic events, especially during the last 500 million years. Volcanic phenomena are the most striking traces today of such past tectonic events. At the end of the Paleozoic, there were a number of volcanic eruptions connected to the waxing and waning of the Variscan Orogeny. Further volcanic activity came in the Neogene as a distal reaction to Alpine Orogenic processes. All volcanic phases show the variability of volcanic processes and have been studied intensively. In addition, these volcanic events and the production of various volcanic products enabled the emergence of local world-famous mineral deposits. The extraordinarily varied geology and the large number of volcanic features is a great tourist attraction and an excellent opportunity for a vivid interpretation of the geoheritage of Central Europe.

Keywords

• central europe
• unesco global geopark bohemian paradise
• late paleozoic
• neogene
• volcanic activity
• jičín volcanic field
• mineral assemblages
• middle ages castles
• collecting
• geoheritage interpretation