Sister Geopark: “Lesvos Island Geopark”

The San’in Kaigan Geopark and the Lesvos Island Geopark signed a sister-geopark agreement in February 2011.

The San’in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark is promoting the building of a network through sister tie-ups with the aim of developing and popularizing geopark activities in cooperation with geoparks around the world.

By forming the sister affiliation with the Lesvos Island UNESCO Global Geopark (Greece), cooperation activities are being conducted in exchanging information on the conservation and utilization of resources, and in introducing and promoting geoparks.

What makes the Lesvos Island Geopark stand out

Lesvos Island UNESCO Global Geopark is located on Lesvos Island, an island in the Aegean Sea. Located close to the Turkish coast, the island is the birthplace of the ancient Greek poet Sappho and is famous for producing Ouzo (anis-scented distilled liquor), olives, sardines and processed sardines.

About 90,000 people (as of 2001) live on the third largest island with an area of 1,620 ㎢ in Greece after Crete and Evia. It has a warm Mediterranean climate and is characterized by its rich water and lush greenery for a Greek island.

Lesvos Island is also famous for a summer resort, and many tourists from home and abroad visit during the vacation season. In addition to swimming in the sea, more and more tourists are enjoying trekking.

The geoscientific value of the Lesvos Island UNESCO Global Geopark

（１）How was petrified forest formed　?

（２）The Lesvos Island is located close to plate boundary

There are many faults on the Lesvos Island since it is located near the plate boundary, and many earthquakes due to fault activity occur.

Damage caused by the direct earthquake that occurred on June 12, 2017

There are many hot springs on the Lesvos Island. This is because the groundwater, heated inside the earth, rises along the fault and springs up as a hot spring.

（３）”The Aegean Sea” was formed by spreading of the ocean

The Aegean Sea is a sea formed by the continent breaking with the movement of the plate. Along with this, the volcano has also moved to its current position.

What does San'in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark have in common with Lesvos Island Geopark?

（１）Fossil Wood

The petrified trees found in the Lesvos Island UNESCO Global Geopark can also be found in the San’in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark. These are mainly fossils from the time of the spreading of the Sea of Japan.

Petrified trees found in the Lesvos Island UNESCO Global Geopark

Petrified trees found in the San’in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark (Ojiro).

（２）Earthquake and hot spring

The Japanese archipelago is also located on boundary of the plate and is an island country with many earthquakes. The San’in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark also has few faults and they once caused great earthquake damages. At the same time, the hot springs that spring along the fault support people’s lives as abundant blessings.

The earthquake monument of the Kita Tajima Earthquake