THE REMARKABLE GEOSITES TRIPLE VOLCANO AND TAYOS CAVES IN ECUADOR – POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR THE WORLD NATURAL HERITAGE LIST

Based on the concept of presenting exceptional and extraordinary sites for protection or preservation for humanity, the current research proposes two different Ecuadorian caves as exceptional candidates for the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. The first cave named Tayos, is a typical 5 km long, karstic cave situated in the Amazonian lowland, being composed predominantly of chemical and clastic sediments of Triassic age. The cave exhibits clear signs of structural fragmentation and some folding. The second cave, named Triple Volcano, is a volcanic cave in form of volcanic conduct, situated in the outer part of the Sierra Negra shield volcano, at Isabela Island in the Galapagos. So far, its the deepest mapped structure of the entire Galapagos archipelago. This cave represents an exceptional nice preserved multi-colored magma chamber of a parasitic volcanic cone, which has been situated very close to the surface. Both caves are remote of human settlings and of difficult, vertical access. The research has been based on an intensive inventory of existing speleological literature of Ecuador in all types of aspects, including mapping, culture, geology, flora and fauna as well as documents based on many books and filmography, besides various own expeditions. The high amount of existing material, specially of the tayos cave, has been earned on the worldwide interest based on a variety of legends mianly due to the unusual inner landscape. In popular culture, these myths revolve around the arrival and existence of extraterrestrials and intraterrestrials, the supposed discovery of metal plates or books and various other treasures, such as golden statues, hieroglyphs and prehistoric antiquities unknown to mankind. The two studied caves are presented and described in detail. Both geosites, Triple Volcano as well as Tayos cave are recognized to be extraordinary candidates for the World Heritage List, as they accomplish various of the given ten criterias of the UNESCO, for their potential inclusion. Both caves contribute positively to the World Natural Heritage designation as examples of unique scenic beauty, scientific and cultural values as well as they constitute global hotspots of underground bio- and geodiversity.