Monti Alburni e la Valle del Tanagro

LANDSCAPE AREA
Q _ ALBURNI MOUNTAIN-TANAGRO VALLEY
Included Geosites
Id_denomination
Imp.
142_ karsic springs with
fall of S. Maria Auso
Id_denomination
Imp.
Id_denomination
Imp.
M
149_ Grooved meanders of Calore riverStazione di Sicignano
S
156_ karst plateau of
Alburni Mountain
S
143_Caves of CastelcivitaMulino's springs
F-C
150_Carbonatic series
of Postiglione
S
157_Piaggine Formation-S. Rufo
S
144_Caves of Pertosa
F-C
151_Terraces of Calore
river- Altavilla Silentina
S
158_Fossil of Lady
Mountain
S
145_Sinkhole of Fumo-Frà
Gentile
S
152_Limestone with
fossil-Timpa del Prato
S
159_ Richter side Controne
S
146_Fossiliferous level of
Petina
S
153_Limestone with
nummulites- Ottati
S
160_ Conglomerate of
Auletta
S
147_ Fault of Alburni
Mountain -Il Figliolo
S
154_ Trentinara formation-road to Castelcivita
S
148_Fossiliferous level of
Carbonara
S
155_ Limestone with
nummulites - road to
Ottati
S
M=Main
F= Focal
C= Complementary
Legend S= Secondary
Landscape areas National Park MAIN GEOSITE
142_ karsic springs with fall of S. Maria Auso
Ubication
Altitude
Fruition
Accessibility
Nation - ITALY
300 m. s.l.
Region - CAMPANIA
Province - SALERNO
feet
car
Distance
NATIONAL PARK
Municipality - S. ANGELO A FASANELLA
70 Km. from
National Park
office
trackway
X
recreation
boat
restaurant
other
exposition
X
INTEREST (1= primary - 2 = secondary)
GEOLOGICAL
SCIENTIFIC
Rare (conservation
experimentation)
OTHER
1
Didactical
Structural
Mineralogical
Stratigrafical
Hydrogeological
1
Popularization
Hikers/trecking
Paleontological
2
Rappresentative
Archeological
Geomorphological
1
Sedimentological
Paleoenviromental 2
1
Karsic
Paleobiological
Mondial/European
National/Local
Cartography of Main Geosite
2
Naturalistic
Historical/religious
2
DESCRIPTION
In this landscape area outcrop all the carbonate formations of Albuno Cervati Pollino Unit from the Triassic to the Middle Miocene. Along the Tanagro’s valley terraced alluvial deposits are present.
Within this landscape 19 individuals geoites are identified, linked epigean and hypogean karst processes,
such as: the main geosite “S. Maria dell’Auso” which includes Auso’s springs with waterfall, the cave
“morta” and other minor springs. The whole karst system is in communication with the geosite “FumoFrà Gentile”, (cave of “Fumo” and sinkhole of S. Mary, the caves of Our Lady and of “Ossa” mountain),
through a series of ducts karst only minimally detected and explored.
Two other geosites classified as focal and complementary, to their specific geoturistic features, are caves
of Castelcivita and the caves of the Angel of Pertosa.
The Caves of Catelcivita are connected to the “Mulino’s” springs and are also interesting for the speleology and archeology. They are important caves, which together with the caves “Ausino” and “Mulino,
constitute a single karst system explored for about 6 km. In these caves outcrop: fossiliferous limestone
to Rudiste and limestone to nummulites, the Trentinara formation as an example of transition stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental changes between Eocenic (about 45 millions years ago) and Miocenic
(about 20 millions years ago) soils. The cave is a succession of galleries, salons, bottlenecks and sinks,
that chases one another, overlap, collapse in leaps and fearful chasms, creating unique details of their
kind : lemon, the face of a cherub, the bunches of grapes, the big crib and the Pagoda, all wonderfully
created by calcareous concretions. There are several rooms: a large cave called Luigi Vittorio Bertarelli
(guide), which stands in perfect vertical a wonderful column; the desert which floor looks sandy and flat;
the great Hall “Principe di Piemonte” particular for the presence of a column consisting of stylish horizontal piece disc; the tunnel “Boegan” a majestic stage consists of hundreds of stalactites and stalagmites
columns; the Great Falls variously tinged with yellow and white. Several objects from Palaeolithic discoveries in recent years, suggest that the cave has been continuously inhabited since the Stone Age until
the Iron age.
Caves of the Angel of Pertosa are a karst area with various geomorphological speleological and archeological emergencies. They present a development of about 3km from which emerges, along a lateral
branch, an underground stream. These caves run in an impressive series of tunnels until it terminates in
the many natural "rooms", all with a different characteristics. Inhabited since the Bronze Age, and perhaps also of Stone age, we can find the palafitte. The geotourist itinerary winds through shafts, tunnels,
bottlenecks and large rooms, all features and unique in its kind and among the many to mention: the Hall
of Wonders; the Great, heigh 24 metres; the Hall of sponges is unique in the world; the Hall of bats has
very special and rare character.
Other geosite is the Karst plateau of Alburni Mountains, vast karst area and, perhaps, the most important
in Mediterranean area for the different geomorphological emergencies, valuable both for their scientific
significance for the exemplary teaching. There are numerous caves and sinkholes such as: the cave of the
Gentiles (-480m), the most profound of Alburni Mountain; the cave I Parchitiello; the cave of winter; the
cave of “confine”; the sinkholes of Pila and of “Figliolo”; the cave of Mary; the cave of Serrone; the
cave of Minollo; the two sinkholes of Campitelli; the cave of Falco that presenting an underground
stream to 150 metres depth; the sink of Capostrada and the Cave Milan where were found Bear’s bones.
The other geosites surveyed are mainly stratigraphic interest: Petina, fossiliferous level important both from the point
of time (level markers of the Cretaceous about 100 Millions years ago) that paleontological and paleo biological; Carbonara, fossiliferous levels (Eocene) with Cyclopoma gigas Agassiz; Postiglione, sequence type of carbonate platform
Jurassic-Cretaceous; Calore River, river terraces as a result of erosive quaternary phase (last 2 Millions years); Sicignano Station, embanked meanders of Calore river; Timpa Prato and Ottati, examples of fossiliferous limestone levels
( about 20 and 40 Millions years ago); Castelcivita, outcrop of Trentinara formation, an example of stratigraphic steps
and palaeoenvironmental changes in the conditions between Eocene (about 45 millions years ago-Ma) and Miocene
(20 Milions years ago) soils; S. Rufo, stratigraphic transition between breccias and sandstones of Piaggine; Lady
Mountain examples of fossiliferous limestone in Rudiste levels of about 70 millions years ago; Conglomerates of Auletta; Controne, example of the Richter’s side.
Geosite 142_ karsic springs with fall of S. Maria Auso
Geosite 143_ Caves of Castelcivita
Geosite 142_ karsic springs with fall of S. Maria Auso
Bridge of Molino de fFeo
Geosite 143_ Caves of Castelcivita—stalactite and stalagmite
Geosite 143_ Caves of Castelcivita– the lake
Geosite 144_ Caves of Pertosa
Geosite 143_ Caves of Castelcivitastalactite and stalagmite
Geosite 144_ Caves of Pertosa– the lake
Geosite 144_ Caves of Pertosa– the fall
Geosite 144_ Caves of Pertosastalactite and stalagmite
Geosite 144_ Caves of PertosaTo go boating
Geosite 144_ Caves of Pertosastalactite and stalagmite
Geosite 153_ Fossil– Clupavus
Geosite 146_ Fossil– Alburnia Petinen-