Devonian geoheritage of Siberia: A case of the northwestern Kemerovo region of Russia

Southern Siberia demonstrates significant richness of the geological environment, but its uniqueness remains known poorly. Four geosites represent sections of Givetian–Famennian (Middle–Late Devonian) deposits formed in the tectonically active zone where small terranes accreted with the Siberian continent. There, carbonate deposition in tropical conditions prevailed and rich ecosystems evolved. Three geosites are dominated by the unique palaeogeographical features (notable palaeobiogeographical changes, facies of catastrophic outflow from palaeolake, Frasnian/Famennian mass extinction, and palaeoreefs), and one geosite is dominated by the stratigraphical feature (regionally representative section of the Frasnian/Famennian boundary). Additionally, all localities are rich in Devonian marine invertebrates, and one of them is also a topographical expression of palaeoreef. The semi-quantitative assessment of these geosites implies that one of them can be ranked nationally and three others can be ranked regionally. All localities are well accessible and important for international research. It is proposed to use these geosites for a new geopark development that would facilitate geotourism growth in the study area and, thus, provide socio-economic benefits to the region.