Geoheritage Potential of Bukit Panau, Kelantan, Malaysia

Abstract

Bukit Panau (Panau Hill) is an isolated hill located in Pasir Mas District, in between Tanah Merah and Pasir Mas town, in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. It is increasingly popular with tourists, especially those who enjoy trekking. The first discovery of Sauropod in this location was a piece of shocking news for not only Kelantan, but also the whole country. However, there are many arguments regarding the actual existence of this fossil in this area. Bukit Panau is geologically composed of igneous and sedimentary rocks. This paper aims to assess the geoheritage potential of Bukit Panau based on three stages: the qualitative assessment, quantitative assessment and evaluation. The qualitative assessment focused on identifying the geodiversity, geoheritage values, scope, scale and level of significance. The quantitative evaluation was split into two parts: one for possible geotourism sites, and the other just for potential for geoheritage based on calculations and an equation that was provided. SWOT analysis was the final technique, which was evaluation. Based on this study at Bukit Panau, five geoheritage values have been identified: scientific, aesthetic, recreational, cultural, and ecological values.The level of significance for this area is regional and the geoheritage feature scale is small to medium based on our assessment. The quantitative assessment showed that this study area was about right to become a geotourism site and high in terms of geoheritage potential.