Ironbridge Gorge in top ten of UK's geological sites

It was named alongside Stonehenge, Glencoe and Staffa in the Inner Hebrides after being chosen by 1,200 members of the public from a list of 100 UK "geosites" selected by the Geological Society of London to mark Earth Science Week, which begins today.

Divided into ten categories including landscapes, human habitations and sites of scientific importance, the Ironbridge Gorge was voted the people's favourite for industrial and economic importance.

In 1986, the Ironbridge Gorge became one of the first group of seven UK sites to be awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO.

The list also features educational sites such as Scarborough's Rotunda Museum and the mountainous wilderness of Assynt in the Scottish Highlands.

As well as outcrops and landscapes, the full list of 100 geosites also includes the likes of Westminster Abbey and Durham Cathedral and feats of engineering including the Channel Tunnel, Bath Spa and Geevor Tin Mine.

Professor Rob Butler, who chairs the Geological Society's geoconservation committee, said: "The list highlights the huge range of incredible geology the UK and Ireland have to offer.

"From the Outer Hebrides to Cornwall, from rocks showing how the crust formed billions of years ago to young sediments pushed around by ice sheets a few thousand years ago, we are unique in having such a diverse geological heritage over a relatively small area."

Earth Science Week, which was founded in 2011, aims to make members of the public more aware of the word around them.

Professor Butler added: "Thousands of people have been inspired to find out more about Earth science from first encounters in front of geological landscapes or a museum. Earth Science Week and the 100 Great Geosites are designed to encourage even more of the general public to get involved and enjoy some of the geology that surrounds us all."

A "geosite" is anything that highlights the importance of geology to human civilisation - a beautiful landscape, an engineered site, a museum, historical site or structure featuring striking building stones.

The final list of 100 was selected from over 400 nominations, the majority of which were submitted via social media, using the #100geosites hashtag.

An interactive map has been created to show the top 100 sites and winners of the public vote, and to help the public visit their nearest site.

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is one of the largest independent museums in the world, with the twin aims of education and heritage conservation in the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

The 10 People's Favourites

• Landscape: Assynt, Scottish Highlands

• Industrial and Economic Importance: The Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire

• Historical and Scientific Importance: Siccar Point, Berwickshire

• Educational: The Rotunda Museum in Scarborough, Yorkshire

• Adventurous: Staffa, the Inner Hebrides

• Human Habitation: Stonehenge, Wiltshire

• Coastal: Hunstanton Cliffs, Norfolk

• Outcrops: Craster, Northumberland

• Folding and faulting: Millook Haven, Cornwall

• Fire and Ice: Glencoe, Scottish Highlands