Compared to other parts of the country, the region of Central Iran still remains mainly outside of major tourism flows even though there are significant geosites with great value for geotourism development. Two of those sites, the Shadow Canyon and the Canyon of Jinns, have excellent qualities for the development of this form of tourism in the future. The goal of this research is to gain information about the preferences of Iranian geotourists and to determine the current state and geotourism potential of Shadows Canyon and Jinn Canyon located in Central Iran by applying the modified geosite assessment model (M-GAM). The results indicate that Iranian geotourists consider rarity and the number of viewpoints the most important when choosing which geosite to visit, while the least important are tour guide service as well as hostelry and restaurant service. The results also show that more attention should primarily be concentrated toward promotional activities and basic tourist infrastructure construction in the future to attract even more tourists to these and other geosites in Iran.

Brachiopod fauna from central Iran, recorded in the upper part of the Shemshak Group and attributed to the upper Toarcian (Pseudoradiosa-Aalensis zones), are reported for the first time in Iran. The assemblage recognized includes six different taxa: Homoeorhynchia sepahanensis nov. sp., formally described in this paper, Globirhynchia subobsoleta, Pseudogibbirhynchia sp., Tetrarhynchiidae sp. indet., Monsardithyris? aff. haresfieldensis, and Zeilleria cf. leckenbyi. Analysis of faunal affinities with other paleobiogeographical regions shows a free connection the central Iranian brachiopod fauna with wide areas of the northern shelf margin of the Tethys Ocean. This is due to an apparent disruption of bioprovinciality inferred for the late Toarcian-earliest Aalenian, congruent with a connection through the northern seaway across the peri-Laurasian epicontinental platforms.