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| This topographic map show the mountain ranges that lie in the Italian boarder. The darker brown in the top-center shows the Alp Mountain range and the Dolomites. Photo credithttp://mapsof.net/map/italy-topographic-map-blank#.UT-Dc9Ejp_k |
Italy’s northern landscape is
dominated be the Alps mountain range. The area bounded inside the Italian
boarder is known as the dolomites. They are worldly recognized not only by
tourist, looking for a stunning backdrop, but by the scientific community that
studies the geomorphologies of the world. The extension of the mountain chain
is created by the deformation process that has been taking place over thousands
of years. The process involves a long period of time and weathering as described
be the architect Le Corbusier, “After the uplift and the consequent emerging
from the sea, the Dolomite reliefs were sculpted and modelled through millennia
by atmospheric agents, the force of gravity, running waters and ice which all
contributed to transform them into the most beautiful work of architecture in
the world, as Le Corbusier remarked.”(Geology of the Dolomites) It is significant to the
geomorphology world, because it is a mountain range that has many landscapes
that are due to glaciers, tectonic plate movements, and time.
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| The dramatic landscapes pleases anyone who encounters it, but to the geologist of the world it shows it is much bigger than just a pretty picture. It shows how weathering and a lot of time,can create such beautiful vertical landscapes. |
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| Cararra Marble quarry in Italy. Picture credit: http://pcgladiator.blogspot.com/2009/03/marble-quarries.html |
Italy is also know for its
beautiful marble. Marble is created most of the time near mountain ranges and
the topographic map above illustrates that Italy also has smaller mountain ranges
running down the middle of the country. This type of landscape can sometimes be
a result of a plate on plate collision. The process of two massive continents
coming together supplies so much pressure that is needed to create marble.
Cararra Marble is from the Tuscan region of Italy.
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| The statue of "David" by Michael Angelo was made from marble that was from the Cararra Quarry. It stand almost 17ft tall and it is almost hard to imagine how big the block of marble must had been to crate this. Photo credit: Saul Hernandez |
References:
" Geology of the Dolomites".Alfonso Bosellini, Piero Gianolla, and Marco Stefani. March 2012. http://www.colletts.co.uk/factsheets/geology.pdf
