DOLOMITES-UNESCO: THE BRENTA GROUP, A 'SPINAL COLUMN'
TRENTO - Extensive rock outcroppings in the Brenta Dolomites document the structural evolution of the South Alpine border area and the tectonic history of the Dolomite mountain range, according to earth scientists. Sometimes called the 'spinal column', the spectacular landforms in the Brenta include rock towers, steeples, ledges, landslides and a well developed karst system of underground drainage, say reports from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The last of the nine mountain groups included in Italy's attempt to win its Dolomite mountains a spot on the United Nations World Heritage List, the Brenta Dolomites is at the extreme west of the range, an island of dolomite rock surrounded by the granite mountains Adamello and Presanella. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted an international treaty in 1972 to identify and protect the earth's cultural and natural heritage. The mission to preserve global heritage of outstanding value to humanity is carried out by the World Heritage Committee, scheduled to rule on the Dolomite bid to become a World Heritage Site by the end of June. Italy moved a step closer to the goal of getting its famous mountains on the prestigious list in May when the IUCN, the World Heritage Committee's technical advisor for natural sites, endorsed its 2008 application.
Nine mountain groups have been selected as representative of two UNESCO criteria: superlative natural phenomena and outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history. The fourth largest of the nine groups included in the nomination, the Brenta group spans 11,135 hectares and is bordered by four valleys: the Val di Sole on the northern side, the Val di Non and the Paganella plateau on the eastern side, the Giudicarie on southern side, and the Val Rendena on the western side. The rock outcrops in the Brenta Dolomites date from the early Palaeolithic era, the Old Stone Age, to the Cretaceous period, the heyday of the dinosaurs. Early Permian age deposits in Mount Massimeno contain alternating layers of volcanic and river-lake strata and the Norian-Liassic phase succession indicates the transition point between the Trento ledge and the Lombardy basin, providing important scientific evidence on the area's geological formation.
The only Dolomite rock mountains west of the Adige River, the entire Brenta group lies within the province of Trento and as part of the province's Adamello-Brenta Nature Park has been protected by conservation measures since 1967. In 2008 the nature reserve was recognised as an international Geopark and belongs to both the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO Global Network of Geoparks. The last surviving colony of indigenous brown bears in the Alps - recently integrated with introduced Slovenian bears - lives in the park. The Brenta group, 42 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide, resembles a stone spinal column running northeast to southwest; a parade of peaks, towers, gorges and rocky plateaus entirely without roads, accessible only by hiking paths and mule tracks. Called the 'Spine' by Trento valley shepherds until the late 1800s, today the nickname is used for the highest Madonna di Campiglio peak.
Lake Molveno is the largest of the area's many alpine lakes including the famous Tovel Lake which microorganisms turned red every summer until 1964. Scientists, putting the disappearance of the popular phenomena down to environmental pollution, have been working for years on reproducing ideal conditions to bring back the yearly event. The Brenta group is divided into four principal zones. The subgroup south of the Bocca di Brenta, includes the Tosa massif and the Tosa Summit - always snow-capped and the highest in the Brenta at 3,173 metres above sea level - the Ambiez chain, the Vallon mountains, the wild Ghez area and the Sabbion chain. The central subgroup, made of Dolomia Principal stone, includes the Sfulmini chain, the Cima Brenta massif (3,150 metres) and the Cima Groste' massif (2,901 metres). The northern subgroup encompasses the Passo Groste', the Val di Sole, the Pietra Grande massif, the Sasso Alto chain and the Sasso Rosso massif. The Campa subgroup overlooks the Val di Non and includes the Gaiarda and Altissimo groupings as well as the Fibbion and del Monte Corona chains. Other than the Tosa, the Brenta and the Groste', the highest peaks are the Crozzon di Brenta, the Cima d'Ambiez and the Torre di Brenta, all over 3,000 metres above sea level.
A late entry compared to other Dolomite groups as a destination for explorers in the 1800s, the Brenta summits quickly became an obligatory stop for climbers intrigued by the isolated landscapes, challenging ascents and long crossings. In 1864 British climber John Ball was the first to cross the Bocca di Brenta. The following year Trento climber Giuseppe Loss and five friends were the first to reach the Cima Tosa summit. Generations of mountaineers have honed their skills on Brenta peaks; Cesare Maestri and Bruno Detassis are two famous climbers who began their career in the Brenta Dolomites . Francis Fox Tuckett, a pioneering British mountaineer, arrived in 1872 accompanied by his sister Elizabeth whose evocative drawings document their excursions. The Bocca di Tuckett, a Brenta pass and refuge, is named after the intrepid climber.
