“Another Brick in the Wall”? Geoheritage and Educational Potential of the "Wall of Deep-Sea Life" (San Casciano Val di Pesa, Italy)

The Oligocene–Miocene Macigno Formation, which has been extensively quarried throughout Tuscan territory, is home to the majority of the beautiful rocks used to adorn the city walls of San Casciano Val di Pesa (Florence Province, Italy). The "Wall of Deep-Sea Life" is a form of open-air museum that features numerous beautifully preserved sedimentary structures on the city walls, including ichnofossils that portray a deep-sea, turbiditic palaeoenvironment. By identifying twelve ichnogenera and observing their architecture and connections with the substrate, these along road exposures also enable the identification of pre- and post-turbidite event suites. This research conducts an examination of accessibility at the wall from both an educational and a geo-heritage perspective. On the one hand, the "Wall of Deep-Sea Life" urban geosite is suggested; this is a geosite where human activity predominates and serves as an open-air art gallery that discusses regional geology and palaeontology. Conversely, the current study attempts to investigate this stone wall heritage's educational resourcefulness. The "Wall of Deep-Sea Life" is a fresh chance to promote geoscientific discourse and culture. The goal of the outdoor education opportunity is to provide a Montessori-style approach while allowing the student to freely explore the "Wall of Deep-Sea Life" and form their own opinions. Given the ever-changing nature of education, it is critical to reevaluate the system as a whole and create innovative teaching resources, like our proposed "Wall of Deep-Sea Life," which would be environmentally friendly outdoor learning areas close to schools.