The Dolomites: once tropical atolls, today majestic mountains

Warm, shallow turquoise water, coral reefs, multicolored fish, shellfish, white beaches. This is a perfect description of a Caribbean atoll – but also of the Dolomites, which had their origins in a prehistoric tropical sea.

About 250 million years ago, the present-day arc of the Alps was part of the continent Pangea, which was located far to the south, in the Earth’s tropical zone. Given the presence of mollusks, algae, coral and fish, this area saw massive limestone production.

Due to volcanic activity and the consequent outpouring of basaltic magma, these organisms died off on a massive scale and were deposited on the seabed. This is why today the Dolomites are a paradise for fossil researchers. Tectonic activity lifted the seabed, the primordial ocean slowly receded and the first Dolomites began to surface. The movement of the earth’s plates lifted the mountain chain, sandstone hardened thanks to the high calcareous content, and was compressed by enormous pressure from the geological layers above it.

Following the Ice Age the surface of the Dolomites began to be formed, and water proved to be a skillful and imaginative sculptor. Landslides and detritus flowed into valleys, as wind, rain and ice continued their inexorable work, so that the Dolomites change on a yearly basis. .

One of the marvels to emerge from the unique mineralogical composition of the Dolomites is undoubtedly the phenomenon known as “Enrosadira”. The presence of calcium carbonate and manganese in the dolomite causes the mountains to glow with an intense red color at sunset. The rocky cliffs cover the spectrum of colors from bright yellow to fiery red and then soften to shades of violet until they disappear into the total darkness of night. Enrosadira is unique to the Dolomites and is definitely one of nature’s most spectacular sights.