Natural Disasters, Geotourism, and Geo-interpretation

Abstract

Natural disasters may be considered as opportunities to learn about the magnitude of natural processes and to better understand the role of human factors, especially exposure to risk. In this paper, we look at sites of past natural disasters from the perspective of geotourism. In a number of archeological sites from antiquity, one may see evidence of thorough destruction, mainly due to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, although these sites are explored as glimpses into the past style of life rather than lessons about the power of nature. Twentieth and twenty-first century disasters are commemorated with monuments and plaques, but the tangible evidence of destruction is often quickly erased, both intentionally and due to post-event natural processes themselves. In this way, opportunities to use disaster sites as learning grounds are lost. However, there are examples of educational trails and museums, which illustrate the value of preserving some evidence of infrequent, but catastrophic events.