Natural stone is required for maintenance and repair of historically, archaeologically and culturally important structures to prevent deterioration due to weathering and use. Those that have national or World Heritage significance are historically and culturally important. Sometimes, severely damaged buildings may require extensive or complete restoration. The choice of stone should be appropriate in physical and aesthetic terms, ideally from the original source. Researchers, architects, those who specify contracts and other stakeholders need reliable information, but access to, and awareness of, important sources such as manuscripts, publications and collections of samples is often limited. Easier access to information is needed when planning and commissioning works that require the replacement of stone. Making important information more widely available and promoting awareness of the need to maintain adequate supplies of natural stone of suitable quality is a task for both national and international organizations including the Heritage Stone Task Group of IUGS and IAEG. This paper provides some illustrative examples and pointers towards some recent major publications, as well as describing current Heritage Stone Resource and European Union initiatives, all the while requesting further participation from colleagues in this field.

Natural stone has been used for millennia in many historically and culturally important structures. It inevitably undergoes weathering from natural processes and damage from human activities. Deterioration affects both ornamental features and main structural members of constructions, ultimately requiring repair and maintenance, or causing loss of the structure altogether. Stone similar to the original should generally be used for repairs, but if that is impossible a closely similar material is required. Use of inappropriate stone or treatment with incompatible mortars can be aesthetically unsightly or have structurally and financially damaging consequences. Such use typically arises because of a lack of information and awareness among commissioners and specifiers of works, along with budget constraints leading to selection of cheaper alternatives. Even some World Heritage Sites have suffered. Selected examples from Western Europe illustrate these problems. The Global Heritage Stone initiative has been launched to improve recognition of the internationally most important heritage stones, promote their proper use in construction, maintenance and repair, and to stress the need to safeguard important stone resources for future use.RÉSUMÉLa pierre naturelle a été utilisée depuis des millénaires dans de nombreuses structures importantes historiquement et culturellement. Inévitablement cette pierre s’altère sous l’effet de processus naturels et de dommages causés par les activités humaines. Cette détérioration affecte aussi bien les éléments ornementaux que les principaux éléments structuraux des constructions, ce qui, éventuellement nécessite réparation et entretien, ou alors peut entraîner la perte de la structure. Une pierre semblable à l'originale doit généralement être utilisée pour des réparations, ou alors un matériau très similaire est requis. L’utilisation d’une pierre inappropriée ou un traitement avec des mortiers incompatibles peut être esthétiquement disgracieux ou avoir des conséquences structurellement et financièrement préjudiciables. Cette utilisation erronée est typiquement le résultat d’un manque d'information et de sensibilisation des commissaires et des rédacteurs du cahier des charges, ainsi que de contraintes budgétaires conduisant au choix d’options moins coûteuses. Et même, certains sites du patrimoine mondial en ont souffert. Des exemples choisis de l'Europe de l’ouest illustrent ces problèmes. L'initiative du patrimoine mondial de la pierre de taille lancée pour améliorer la conscience à l'échelle internationale des principales pierres du patrimoine, promouvoir leur utilisation correcte dans la construction, leur entretien et leur réparation, et souligner la nécessité de préserver les ressources importantes en pierre pour les besoins à venir. Traduit par le Traducteur

Over half of the world's population is urbanized. Urban planners aim at sustainable development but often take more account of social and economic information than geoscience. Many authorities do not employ geoscientists. This leads to poor policies and decisions and increased costs and risks. Planning systems are complicated and lengthy, involving many participants from planners to elected members as well as the public who may have limited understanding of the importance of geoscience information, scientific methods and uncertainties in results. Careful presentation focusing on the requirements of each audience is needed. Researchers should engage with stakeholders to develop trust and understanding. Planners should be included in research teams. Information on resources, hazards and emissions should be combined with social and economic material. Collaboration with other specialists is important. Work is not over when the results are written up. Thorough dissemination is required for results to be used fully and properly. It is wise to train geoscientists in writing for, and communicating with, the public and media. Ongoing advice and guidance is needed not least when plans are reviewed and updated but that is often prevented by funding mechanisms.

Urban expansion is increasing rapidly. Balancing of social, economic and environmental interests in planning policies and decisions is needed. Sustainability and environmental appraisals, site investigations and public consultation require sound information. Many participants in the planning process have limited understanding of geoscience issues. Geoscientists must explain unfamiliar matters to diverse audiences within a complicated administrative system. It is necessary to focus on specific administrative areas and harmonize geoscience with social and economic data. Most participants require interpreted information and advice on actions to take. This requires customized outputs for specific audiences, simplified using straightforward language. Maps and GIS are a good means of communication but need careful explanation. Dissemination needs early and continuing engagement with stakeholders and often needs to be repeated. Communication requires special skills and training. Ongoing funding for management and updating of information but urban planning authorities often neglect this.

Two limestone resources from the Mesozoic strata of south-west England, Bath Stone and Purbeck Stone, are compared in terms of criteria proposed for designation of Heritage Stone Resources. Both have been used locally for some 2000 years and have had significant wider use in the past 350 years. Bath Stone has been used widely in the UK and to some extent elsewhere. Its use throughout the city of Bath provides an overall architectural integrity that contributed to it achieving World Heritage City status. Purbeck Stone, with the exception of a variety known as "Purbeck Marble", has been mainly used locally. It was used to build several structures now designated as Ancient Monuments but Purbeck Marble has been used extensively for interior ornamental work in many ancient and important buildings. Bath Stone has been widely recognised as a "cultural icon" but there is less awareness of Purbeck Stone. Both are still quarried, and have an assured future, subject to continuing demand. However, for both, Heritage Stone Resource designation might help to reinforce their status. Overall, the case for designation of Bath Stone appears to be stronger than that for Purbeck Stone.

Mineral working gives rise to dust. Concerns about dust soiling are major source of public objections to new operations. Emissions are controlled through complementary regulations that are generally well observed by the industry and well enforced by the regulators. The comprehensive system of regulation, based on European and national law, deals with all aspects of operations including: pollution control, planning, occupational health and safety and statutory nuisances. Most minerals applications are subject to environmental impact analysis that forms a basis for planning and environmental protection conditions. There are limit values on PM10 and PM2.5 in air, and for potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in soils and water, derived from European regulations. Stakeholder engagement is encouraged. The public can express concerns during minerals operations so that operators can deal with these. Levels of emissions are kept low through good site design and management, proper use and maintenance of well designed machinery, and good training of the workforce. Monitoring ensures that problems can be dealt with quickly.

This volume provides a synopsis of current research on volcanic processes, as gained through the use of palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic techniques. Thermoremanent magnetization information provides a powerful means of deciphering thermal processes in volcanic deposits, including estimating the emplacement temperature of pyroclastic deposits, which allows us to understand better the rates of cooling during eruption and transport. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and anisotropy of remanence are used primarily to investigate rock fabrics and to quantify flow dynamics in dykes, lava flows, and pyroclastic deposits, as well as identify vent locations. Rock-magnetic characteristics allow correlation of volcanic deposits, but also provide means to date volcanic deposits and to understand better their cooling history. Because lava flows are typically good recorders of past magnetic fields, data from them allow understanding of changes in geomagnetic field directions and intensity, providing clues on the origin of Earth’s magnetic field.

Abstract The Global Heritage Stone Resource (GHSR) and Global Heritage Stone Province (GHSP) designations provide a means by which geoscientists, planners and industry can explain the importance of some types of stone in the repair and maintenance of historic structures, new building and objects such as sculptures. Defining criteria are envisaged as including: wide ranging geographical use for a significant period; utilization in significant industrial projects; recognition as a cultural icon; continuing availability; and potential benefits of designation. Consideration is needed of the future composition and administration of the overseeing Board, refinement of the mechanism for making and approving nominations and how to consult the cultural heritage sector on nominations. It is likely that a larger panel of reviewers will be needed to support the work. It is important that criteria are clear and widely known and that discussions and decisions are well documented and publicly available. A mechanism for appeals against decisions is also needed. It is considered that the cultural heritage qualification should be the primary criterion supported by timescale and scale of use, both geographically and quantitatively.

Much early subsurface development was for infrastructure. Rapid urbanization and pressure on space makes subsurface use increasingly important. In some areas pre-existing cavities produced by mining have been used directly or adapted. Many facilities are associated with individual development initiatives rather than being planned. But increased numbers of facilities lead require planning based on a full range of information for formulation of policies, preparing site assessments, public consultations and making decisions on planning applications. But planners, administrators and the public often have limited understanding of geoscience issues and may be poorly equipped for this task. Geoscientists need to meet those requirements by focusing on administrative areas; harmonizing geoscience with social and economic data sets; concentrating information in a single easily accessible source; providing suitable illustration and visualization of carefully explained and simplified information; and undertaking effective public communication and dissemination. Decision support systems may help. There is a need to use existing experience on subsurface planning for capacity building elsewhere.

Man-made strata occur throughout the world. Also locally called 'fill" or "reclaimed land," most man-made strata were formed by industrial activity. Some strata are inert, well consolidated and properly "engineered" for their intended future use. Many other; however, are polluted, contaminated and potentially unstable owing to poor environmental management and monitoring. Such deposits are often strati graphically complex and thus require site-specific geologic and geotechnical investigation to ensure ground stability and to avoid release of surface, subsurface and airborne pollutants. We have compared various investigative approaches from Uruguay, Lithuania, Japan and England; and therefore now strongly recommend that national, regional and local governments actively identify the magnitude of problems associated with man-made strata within their various jurisdictions. Based on varying terminology, concepts and political, administrative, legal, historical and geological contexts, we find it desirable to use fewer, but more rigorously defined and internationally agreed terms. Environmental assessments of man-made strata should be expanded throughout the world. It is, however, the more developed nations that currently have the greatest problems and costs associated with redevelopment of man-made strata. But such problems can be avoided in industrializing countries if they adopt best management practices, policies and priorities that strategically implement and enforce sound planning and environmental permitting. These procedures can ensure that man-made strata are suitable for their intended use by developing appropriate site investigation, modeling and remediation design, and by implementing appropriate monitoring and recording processes.

1. Barbara Hardy Institute, School of Natural & Built Environments, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes SA 5095 Australia. E-mail: barry.cooper@unisa.edu.au 2. 40 Kingsdown Avenue, London W13 9PT, United Kingdom. E-mail: brian@amarker.freeserve.co.uk 3. Faculty of Sciences, University of Salamanca, Plaza de la Merced s/n, 37008 Salamanca, Spain. E-mail: mdp@usal.es 4. Swedish National Testing & Research Institute, Brinellgatan 4, Box 857 SE-501 15 Boras Sweden, E-mail: bjorn.schouenborg@cbi.se