GEOLOGICAL FORMATION, VOLCANIC / THERMAL

There are 16 sites under this catagory.

Giant's Causeway
Hawaii Volcanoes
Heard and McDonald Islands
Hierapolis-Pamukkale
Isole Eolie
Jeju
Macquarie Island
Mount Etna
Pitons Management Area
Pitons of Reunion
Surtsey
Teide National Park
Tongariro NP
Ujung Kulon National Park
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
Yellowstone

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/categories/category8.html

My selection

Giant's Causeway
Hawaii Volcanoes
Heard and McDonald Islands
jeju
Mount Etna
Pitons of Reunion
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
Teide National Park
Yellowstone

My selection:
Giant's Causeway
Hawaii Volcanoes
Hierapolis-Pamukkale
Jeju
Macquarie Island
Pitons of Reunion
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
Yellowstone

My selection:

Giant's Causeway
Hawaii Volcanoes
Hierapolis-Pamukkale
Jeju
Macquarie Island
Pitons of Reunion
Ujung Kulon National Park
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
Yellowstone

My selection:

Giant's Causeway
Hawaii Volcanoes
Hierapolis
Jeju
Yellowstone
Isole Eolie

Wow -- lots of good choices on this list. Here are the sites that stand out to me:

1. Hawaii Volcanoes: Perhaps the best example of volcanic island-building, particularly with the perspective of the entire island chain
2. Volcanoes of Kamchatka: Excellent collection of volcanoes along the Pacific's Ring of Fire
3. Isole Eolie: Significant in the early study of volcanism (and if the little green men venture to the center of the earth, they need to know how to get out again!)
4. Giant's Causeway: Fantastic basalt formation formed by volcanic activity
5. Yellowstone: The best variety of geothermal features on the World Heritage list

There are a lot of good volcanoes on this list, and I wouldn't mind if others like Surtsey, Jeju-do, or Ujang Kulon National Park (which includes Krakatau) make the final cut. Similarly, Hierapolis-Pamukkale just missed my cut for geothermal features because it is not as impressive as Yellowstone, but it is still a wonder in its own right. BTW, should Tongariro National Park be added to this category (Geological Formation: Volcanic / Thermal) to reflect the natural portion of its inscription as a mixed site?

I'm mostly steering clear of natural sites as I don't have much knowledge, but I do have a little to draw on for volcanoes. Below is my list drawing a fair bit from Colvin's reasoning:

Giant's Causeway - N/Y Interesting but is it more of a quirk than representative of volcanism? I ask that as a genuine question if anyone knows.

Hawaii Volcanoes - Y Agree with Colvin probably the best example of volcanic island building.

Heard and McDonald Islands - N? I don't know enough of it's relevance, isn't the main focus on it's remote nature and thus untouched flora and fauna rather than Volcanic activity?

Hierapolis-Pamukkale - N Quirky but examples at Yellowstone would perhaps be better

Isole Eolie - Y Interesting variety of examples, and also instrumental in the scientific study

Jeju - N/Y A bit like Giant's Causeway, interesting and quirky but not sure of its merits beyond that, but again I don't know much and am open to further explanations.

Macquarie Island -N? Again like Heard, is it more of relevance for it's Flora and Fauna than volcanism

Mount Etna - N/Y Seems the definitive Volcano, but perhaps active volcanism is better covered by Hawaii, and Startovolcano by Teide? Also I have a feeling Italy will have a lot of things on the list anyway.

Pitons Management Area - Y/N One of either this one or Reunion seem like good examples for volcanic plugs, I don't know which is the better example

Pitons of Reunion - N/Y One of either this one or St Lucia seem like good examples for volcanic plugs, I don't know which is the better example.

Surtsey - N Great to have a site studied from it's very creation, but perhaps Hawaii is a better example of Island Building

Teide National Park - Y Best example of a Startovolcano?

Ujung Kulon National Park - NThe focus is more on the Flora and Fauna rather than the Volcanic activity

Volcanoes of Kamchatka - Y Best inscribed site from the Ring of Fire, also it just looks brilliant.

Yellowstone - Y Could say about all the exceptional geothermal features which would be better examples than other in the list, but also could just say: SUPERVOLCANO!!!

I think it's an iconic quirk (though I believe similar sites exist), so would say Yes

In bold the ones we seem to agree on. Italic the maybe('s).

Giant's Causeway
Hawaii Volcanoes
Heard and McDonald Islands
Hierapolis-Pamukkale
Isole Eolie
Jeju
Macquarie Island
Mount Etna
Pitons Management Area
Pitons of Reunion
Surtsey
Teide National Park
Ujung Kulon National Park
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
Yellowstone


Lot's of doubts still. I'll add Tongariro (by request of Colvin)

It's OUV says "The property includes the Ujung Kulon peninsula and several offshore islands that demonstate on-going evolutionary processes, especially following the dramatic Krakatau eruption in 1883."

My thinking was that it was about the colonisation after a volcanic eruption rather than a direct aspect of Volcanism, so the flora and fauna being the focus. But I guess the after effects of an eruption are worthy of some representation. I guess in a similar vein to Pompeii gaining some points for the preservation by volcanic eruption, not just for being a good example of a Roman town.

"Columnar jointing" is a recognised phenomonon in drying lava etc (as well as mud). It can be found across the world in dried flows.
The Devils Causeway is particularly nice especially because of its rather fine location. So, it is rather more than a "quirk" . A "Y" I feel.

I think the same argument applies to Lava tubes so it is that particular aspect for Jeju which clinches it as a Y for me

Those seem fair to me happy to have the put into a bigger context.

Jeju

Quotation from Criterion (viii) Jeju, "It is distinguished by the Geomunoreum lava tube system, which is the most impressive and significant series of protected lava tube caves in the world."

Only 1/3 of the Lava Tube Caves are visitable by the public, but there seems to be little doubt about its significance on the global stage. The question is: Does the most significant Lava Tube System in the world deserve a place on this list? The other features of Jeju are certainly noteworthy and fairly iconic, but perhaps not world class in their significance.