Venetian Prealps Research Articles

Palaeolithic Cave deposits and Karst evolution in the Venetian Pre-Alps

Palaeolithic Cave deposits and Karst evolution in the Venetian Pre-Alps

Paleokarst coastal caves at Torricelle Hills (Lessini Mountains, Venetian Prealps, Italy)

This paper describes a set of paleokarst caves at Torricelle Hills near Verona (Southern Alps, Italy.) At this locality, erosional surfaces and paleokarst cavities show that sedimentation of late Paleogene neritic limestones was interrupted by subaerial exposure. Karst features developed during a phase of marine regression that started after the early Oligocene and ended in the mid Miocene. These caves were originally completely filled by iron oxides- and hydrated oxides-rich paleosol sediments (ochre) that, for centuries, have been mined for pigments. Mining activity emptied the caves, leaving the voids and related shapes mostly intact; as a result, the original morphologies have been exhumed, making these caves a rare example of explorable paleokarst. These “ochre caves” were mapped in a series of surveys over a few years. The exploration of overall 4.5 km of accessible passages in four caves yielded a wealth of information on speleological features, stratigraphy, paleontology, and paleogeography, and here we exploit this information to infer the genesis of these unusual caves. Their evolution started in phreatic conditions, characterized by very slowly moving or still waters that led to the formation of solution facets. A vadose phase of development ensued, followed by infilling by reworked soil-derived sediment and associated paragenetic modifications. Sediment accumulation ended with the complete fossilization of the caves under epiphreatic conditions. Siliciclastic and carbonate sediments containing littoral fossils indicate that the caves developed in the vicinity of a coast, and that they were subject to marine ingression. Overall, these paleokarst coastal caves seem to be a fossilized example, well preserved and explorable, of the Carbonate Island Karst Model on larger islands. We interpret these caves as conduits that drained the freshwater lens in a spatially limited carbonate peninsula that existed in this part of the Lessini paleocoastline between the Oligocene and the Miocene.

The Equilibrium Line Altitude of isolated glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum – New insights from the geomorphological record of the Monte Cavallo Group (south-eastern European Alps)

Glacier-based reconstructions of Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELAs) are important to understand changes of temperature and precipitation over longer time scales and may help to validate regional palaeoclimate models. Here, we present new insights into the ELA in the south-eastern part of the European Alps during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 26.5 to 19 ka), based on the geomorphological record of the Monte Cavallo Group (Venetian Prealps, NE-Italy). This mountain range hosted a glacial system that remained isolated from larger valley glaciers in its vicinity and therefore likely responded very dynamically to changes in climatic boundary conditions. Through detailed mapping of glacial sediments and landforms, we were able to constrain the extent of these palaeoglaciers and model their surface geometry and ELA via semi-automated toolboxes in a geographic information system. In the absence of numerical datings, these landforms were related to an LGM advance through geomorphological and stratigraphical means. In a next step, ELAs were also recalculated for other LGM glaciers in the south-eastern Alps, allowing wider palaeoclimatic conclusions to be drawn. These ELAs are in the range of 1100 to almost 1700 m and show a strong E-W gradient with particular low values in the Julian and eastern Carnic Prealps. This pattern indicates that during the LGM a precipitation gradient existed along the south-eastern fringe of the Alps, with moisture being preferentially advected to these mountain ranges while the Venetian Prealps in the West received less precipitation. Based on the reconstructed ELAs, annual precipitation sums during the regional LGM glacier culmination (ca. 25.5 to 23.5 ka) are estimated between 1820 and 2920 ± 750 mm/yr. Those values are largely compatible with data from modern weather stations and indicate no or little reduction in LGM precipitation as it is reported from other parts of the Alps.

The Debated Discovery of Dolomite and the Proposal of a New Geosite at Borcola Pass (Eastern Italian Pre-Alps) in Honor of Giovanni Arduino

Within the Venetian Pre-Alps, the Borcola Pass connects the Posina (Vicenza province) and the Terragnolo (Trento province) valleys. The Posina valley is located north of Schio (Vicenza) within the Italian Southern Alps structural unit. In this area, the injection of Paleogene basaltic dykes along fault/fractures in the late Triassic Dolomia Principale unit has produced a local metamorphism of the dolomite rock into a marble characterized by the presence of brucite veins. This marble was studied in the eighteenth century by the famous Italian scientist Giovanni Arduino, who understood its metamorphic origin. In fact, the marble is always associated with sub-vertical basaltic dykes intruded into the carbonate rocks of the Pre-Alps. Arduino performed also chemical experiments on the marble. The reading of the description of the experiments induced later authors (e.g., Maraschini, von Morlot, Mc Kenzie) to infer that Arduino unknowingly discovered the mineral called dolomite. In this work, we propose that the abandoned Borcola Quarry should be nominated as a geosite, to allow its conservation and popularization and to preserve the memory of a probably minor, yet informative step in the long-lived history of the discovery of dolomite. In addition, this site presents other reasons of interest, such as petrography, mineralogy, structural geology, industrial archeology, and eco-geotourism. The proposed geosite is therefore of great importance in terms of its multidisciplinary scientific value, aesthetic appeal, and educational value.

Forest management plans as data source for the assessment of the conservation status of European Union habitat types

Natura 2000 is a European network of protected sites that should enable natural habitats to be maintained or restored at a favorable conservation status. Progress toward this objective must be periodically reported by states members of the European Union. We investigated how forest management plans might provide data to support the reporting. The study was done in the forests of the Dolomites and Venetian Prealps, Italy. Here, about 200 forest management plans, divided into several forest compartments, have been drawn up and revised every 10–15 years. Stand structure variables were retrieved from past (OR, 1970–1980) and more recent revisions (NR, 2000–2010) of 331 forest compartments ranging between 0.35 and 53.1 ha. In the beech and spruce forest habitat types (coded 9130 and 9410 in Annex I of the Directive 92/43/EEC, respectively), we found an increase from OR to NR in the density of large trees (from 32 to 46/ha and from 31 to 50/ha, respectively for the two habitats), basal area (from 27.3 to 31.5 m2/ha and from 31 to 34.5 m2/ha), mean diameter (from 34.1 to 36.2 cm and from 33.9 to 36 cm) and Gini index (from 0.35 to 0.37 and from 0.33 to 0.36). Pursuant to the Directive 92/43/EEC, the conservation status of these two habitat types should be taken as “favorable” with regards to the criterion related to the habitats’ specific structure and functions that are necessary for its long-term maintenance. We conclude that forest management plans provide a great portion of the information needed for assessing and monitoring the conservation status of forest habitat types in the Natura 2000 framework.

The coral Synastrea bellula (d’Orbigny) in the Berriasian of Venetian Prealps (NE Italy). A key for interpreting the palaeobathymetry of the Maiolica on the Trento Plateau

The presence of a small colony of Synastrea bellula (d’Orbigny, 1850) in Berriasian beds of the pelagic Maiolica in the Venetian Prealps (NE Italy) provides a key for interpreting the palaeobathymetry of the formation on the Trento Plateau. This pennular scleractinian belongs to a zooxanthellate group whose fossil and modern representatives are characterized by an outstanding specialization in colonizing deeper parts of the marine photic zone (mesophotic zone). The coral grew on the shell of an inferred ammonoid affected by intense microbial erosion. The conch was encrusted first by bryozoans and later by the coral, which immurated a microserpulid, designated as Turriserpula coralliophila gen. et sp. nov. Applying the sclerochronology method, a life duration of the stony coral of at least twelve years is inferred.

Oligo-Miocene sea-level variations of a karstic coastal system in the Venetian Prealps (Torricelle di Verona, NE Italy): new data

One of the most important European palaeokarstic complexes lies on the southern edge of the Lessini Veronesi Mountains and in particular in the locality of Torricelle di Verona (Veneto region, NE Italy). This 20 kilometre-long network of ancient karstic caves has only recently been made accessible thanks to the exploitation and use of the sediments sealing it, known as coloring earths (yellow and red). It is an intricate system of dendritic natural tunnels that were hydrologically active in the late Miocene and located near the coastline or in direct communication with the sea. Currently few cavities are accessible. The analysis and comparison of the topographic and geomorphic data of the palaeokarstic cavities of the Torricelle allowed the reconstruction of the coastline of the ancient sea of Tethys just before its disappearance.

The Roads, Tracks, Paths, and Ropeways of the First World War: An Opportunity to Preserve, Maintain, and Valorize Alpine Landscape

This research aims at understanding how to reuse infrastructure built in the Alps during the First World War to facilitate access to upland areas, increasingly used for tourism, sports, and hiking, but neglected in terms of maintenance. In other words, the main goal here is to improve and preserve the state of the mountain environment (including forests, meadows, pastures, etc.) through the reuse of historical infrastructures such as ropeways and mule tracks. Any form of reactivation of the now abandoned military logistics system, consisting of roads, mule-tracks, paths, and ropeways would enable the currently depopulated places to initiate a new and virtuous cycle. In this way, controlled planning would allow adequate maintenance to be provided for those natural and anthropic landscapes which have been progressively deprived of a productive role. The condition of abandonment and the lack of maintenance of the Alpine landscape have allowed the abundant rains of recent years, which are the result of climate change, to damage the forests of northern Italy and cause a series of hydrogeological landslides. That said, it could be assumed that the conversion of abandoned mule tracks, paths, and ropeways would not only help preserve a healthy Alpine environment but would also contribute to control these phenomena. Furthermore, it would be a way of giving new use to the historical infrastructures that played such an important role in the early 1900s, recognizing in this way their historical value. The transformation of the Alpine landscape and the building of the infrastructures involved all the lines of the front which were located on the mountains. Therefore, the choice of the Asiago Plateau, a portion of the Venetian Prealps comprised between the provinces of Vicenza and Trento, is just paradigmatic, namely, it reflects the features of a more widespread situation. However, the laws promoted by the Italian state have, as their objective, the recovery and maintenance of forts, trenches and buildings of historical value, but do not include the mountain territory that surrounds them. Therefore, reusing the infrastructures from the First World War would allow the whole landscape to be kept active.

New species and records of the pseudoscorpion genus Acanthocreagris from Italy (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae)

Three new species of the genus Acanthocreagris Mahnert, 1974 are described from Lombardy (Acanthocreagris grottoloi sp. n.) and Sardinia (Acanthocreagris foghesa sp. n. and Acanthocreagris alguerensis sp. n.). Acanthocreagris sardoa (Beier, 1959) and Acanthocreagris agazzii (Beier, 1966) are redescribed respectively on specimens from Sardinia and Venetian pre-Alps and a key to adults of the Italian species of the genus is provided.

Floristic composition, site conditions and diversity of poet’s daffodil (Narcissus radiiflorus Salisb.) hay meadows in the Venetian Pre-Alps and outer Dolomites (N-Italy): implications for conservation and restoration

Hay meadows are an important component of the alpine landscape, which evolved over millennia of human activities. When traditionally managed, hay meadows support a rich flora and are recognized for high species diversity. However, both intensification and abandonment can lead to a loss of biodiversity in this vegetation. In this paper, the focus was on the hay meadows where Narcissus radiiflorus Salisb. forms white mosaic carpets during the blooming period. This vegetation was studied through 26 phytosociological relevés, taken in the Venetian Pre-Alps and outer Dolomites (Northern Italy). Relevés were numerically classified and analysed in their relationships with site conditions. Moreover, diversity metrics were calculated for detecting the conservation status of hay meadows subjected to different types of disturbance. The results showed that poet’s daffodils’ dominance brings together hay meadows showing a substantial range of floristic and ecologic variation and that part of the stands dominated by Narcissus radiiflorus could be referred to a habitat type regarded as prioritary for nature conservation. Moreover, management-related variations in functional diversity suggested that the best practice recommended for conservation and restoration of this habitat is the continuation of traditional late mowing. This practice will allow preserving both biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services.

Epikarstic crustaceans from some Italian caves: endemisms and spatial scales.

Author(s): Bruno, Maria Cristina; Cottarelli, Vezio; Grasso, Rosario; Latella, Leonardo; Zaupa, Silvia; Spena, Maria Teresa | Abstract: The epikarst crustacean fauna from four Sicilian caves (Conza, Entella, Molara, and Zubbia del Cavallo caves) and four caves in the Lessinian Massif in the Venetian Prealps (Covolo della Croce, Ponte di Veja, Rovere Mille, Buso della Rana caves) was recently investigated. The two groups of caves differ in their environmental conditions: the Sicilian caves are fossil except one which has an active branch; they are all fed by strongly intermittent and scarce rainfall peaking in the fall. The Lessinian caves are fed by more abundant rainfall, with two yearly peaks (May-June and October-November); two of them are active, one has a temporary stream, one is fossil. The crustacean fauna found in the epikarst drip of each of the studied caves is characterized by interesting endemic harpacticoid and cyclopoid copepods, and one bathynellacean syncarid, often collected in only one cave. Higher diversity of stygobiotic taxa was recorded for the Lessinian caves (9 species of copepods in the Lessinian, and 6 species of copepods and one bathynellacean in Sicily); most of the taxa collected in Sicily are endemic to one cave. Spatial analysis showed very different distributions over short spatial scales (tens of kilometers) and, within each cave, the distribution also varied over distances of a few meters. Our data correspond with other studies where many epikarst crustaceans showed a distribution with a linear extent of only a few hundred meters: the epikarst fauna is not uniformly distributed but rather divided in “blocks” probably characterized by different environmental conditions and, as a consequence, by different taxocoenoses. The data highlight the epikarst as a source of “hidden” biodiversity, and the importance of management protection plans which include not only the caves, but also the epikarst overlying layer and the water sources that feed it.

Ugo Sauro: Highlights of some human adventures in a karst environment: the case of the Monti Lessini (Venetian Prealps, Italy)

Ugo Sauro: Highlights of some human adventures in a karst environment: the case of the Monti Lessini (Venetian Prealps, Italy)

Highlights of some human adventures in a karst environment: the case of the Monti Lessini, Venetian Prealps, Italy

The Monti Lessini, a mountain group located north of the town of Verona, has been the scene of many different human adventures, some of them related to the local karst environment and features. In particular, during the Late Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Modern Age, interesting undertakings linked with natural monuments and peculiarities of the karst environment, have involved famous people, cultural leaders of the time, as well as local inhabitants. Amongst celebrities there are hints that: 1) during the XIV. century Dante Alighieri visited some karst cavities in the mountains, 2) during the XV. century the famous painter Andrea Mantegna painted an image of the Ponte di Veja, a natural bridge, in the Camera degli Sposi of the Ducal Palace of Mantua. Of contemporary cultural leaders: 1) in the XVI. century the pharmacist, Francesco Calceolari, created one of the first Wunderkammer in the world in Verona, an exhibition of curious objects collected in the mountains, 2) in 1739 the local priest, Gregorio Piccoli, starting from a description of paleontological cave fillings, proposed an interesting and in some respects modern interpretation of the geological history of the mountains. The local inhabitants of the mountain have been able not only to solve some of the environmental problems caused by the scarcity of surface water, but also to exploit some of the unusual resources such as ice trapped in caves. They also developed a system of producing ice and of storing it in cylindrical warehouses inspired by the local karst shafts. They understood aspects of the functioning of the karst geosystem, including underground karst hydrology and the dynamics of the epikarstic zone. Thus, here in the Lessini existence of the epikarst was understood by simple people long before the modern researchers. Key words: man and karst, understanding of the karst environment, exploitation of natural resources, Monti Lessini, Venetian Prealps, Italy.Človek in kras: primer Lesinskih Alp, Beneške predalpe, Italija V Lesinskih Alpah, gorski skupini severno od Verone, so se dogajale številne zanimive zgodbe, med njimi tudi takšne, ki so neposredno povezane s krasom in kraškimi pojavi. V poznem srednjem veku, renesansi in moderni dobi, se z lesinskim krasom srečajo številne zgodovinske osebnosti iz kulturnega življenja in drugih okolij. V XIV. stoletju naj bi tu nekatere jame obiskal Dante Alighieri, slikar Andrea Mantegna je narisal naravni most Ponte di Veja, slika danes krasi poročno dvorano Vojvodske palače v Mantovi. V XVI. stoletju je farmacevt Francesco Calceolari ustvaril prvo sobo čudes (Wunderkammer) na svetu, kjer je predstavil nenavadne predmete iz Lesinskih Alp. Leta 1739 je duhovnik Gregorio Piccoli opisal paleontologijo jamskih sedimentov iz lesinkih jam in predstavil skoraj moderno interpretacijo geološke zgodovine gorovja. Krajevni prebivalci so na izvirne načine reševali težave z oskrbo vode na krasu, po drugi strani pa so s pridom izkoristili naravne vire, ki jih nudi kras, npr. jamski led. Po vzoru kraaških brezen so izdelovali tudi skladišča za led. Prebivalci so razumeli osnovna načela delovanja kraškega okolja, podzemne hidrologije in dinamike epikrasa ter jih izkoriščali v svoj prid že veliko pred razvojem modernega krasoslovja.Ključne besede: človek in kras, razumevanje kraškega okolja, izkoriščanje naravnih virov, Lesinske Alpe, Beneške predalpe, Italija.

Supercritical-flow structures (backset-bedded sets and sediment waves) on high-gradient clinoform systems influenced by shallow-marine hydrodynamics

Inferred supercritical structures and bedforms, including sediment waves and backset-bedded sets, are identified as components of coarse-grained siliciclastic and bioclastic, high-gradient clinoform wedges (Plio-Pleistocene of southern Italy) and canyon head infills (Tortonian of Venetian pre-Alps), showing evidence of having been built out in a setting influenced by shallow-marine hydrodynamics. The facies identified are dominated by a range of traction carpets, formed after segregation of coarser particles in the lower part of bipartite density underflows. The generation of backset-bedded sets is thought to imply scouring due to impact of a submerged hydraulic jump on the bed, and upstream migration of the jump, concomitant with the deposition of backset beds on the stoss side of the developing bedform. Submerged hydraulic jumps apparently formed spontaneously and in any position on the foreset and toeset, without requiring any precursor bed defect. The mostly solitary, non-cyclical character of the bedforms prevents their attribution to cyclic steps. The sets of backset beds are locally underlain by chaotic infills of deep, steep-sided scours attributed to vigorous erosion at the hydraulic jump, accompanied by instantaneous loss in transport capacity which results in rapid plugging of the scour (hydraulic jump facies of Postma et al., 2014). Gravel waves have a distinct internal stratigraphy, and their length to amplitude ratios show lower mean values and higher variability when compared to sediment waves consisting of sand. The presence of supercritical bedforms on steep foreset slopes of the studied clinoform systems, even in proximity to the topset-foreset rollover, is believed to reflect high inefficiency of mud-poor and short run-out bipartite underflows episodically transporting relatively small volumes of coarse-grained sediment. This may also account for common solitary, non-cyclical bedforms. It is proposed that during intense oceanographic events, such as coastal storms, seaward sediment entrainment, assisted by gravity, was very effective on the gently sloping subaqueous topset, and that, beyond the topset-foreset rollover, the flows evolved to high-concentration turbidity underflows with supercritical Froude numbers. The flows are inferred to have been sustained, probably lasting for the duration of the meteorological events, and to have commonly been unsteady in discharge, fluctuating in concentration and size of transported sediments, and subject to peaks in velocity. The characteristics of the structures are regarded as typical of the systems fed by oceanographic processes, and may fall into the class of coarse-grained “small sediment waves with mixed relief” of Symons et al. (2016), formed from a combination of erosion and deposition, and by the action of stratified flows depositing from denser basal layers, and typically restricted to small-scale shallow-marine slope systems.

Basalt Intrusions in Palaeokarst Caves in the Central Lessini Mountains (Venetian Prealps, Italy)

The Lessini Mountains carbonate plateau (Venetian Prealps, Italy) is one of the most important karst areas in Italy. Along with alpine-type caves and well-developed karst landscapes, palaeokarst features are also common. In most cases, palaeokarst is represented by caves and fissures filled by limonitic-haematitic palaeosols (ochres) in which fossiliferous arenite layers are sometimes embedded. These features developed and fossilised during a late Eocene-middle Miocene phase of emersion. Between the Palaeocene and the Oligocene, over a time span partially overlapping the development of palaeokarst, basaltic volcanism took place in the Lessini Mountains. Along with ochre fills, cave passages that were intruded by basalt provide further evidence that a well developed karst network existed in the Lessini Mountains area in the middle-late Palaeogene. Moreover, basalt intrusions provide the only available data for the dating of palaeokarst in the central Lessini Mountains, where fossiliferous layers in ochre beds have not been found. We have started a new survey on palaeokarst in the Lessini plateau, with the aim of identifying ancient features on the basis of unusual fills (namely, ochre and basalt) and morphologies. New instances of basalt intrusions in three caves, Spigola di Canova, Covoli di Velo, and Covolo della Croce, have been recognised; evidence of pre-existing karst features filled by basalt in a previously studied cave (Grotta A Veja) has been identified, and an unusual basalt outcrop that might relate to palaeokarst has also been observed. This paper aims to document the new findings and to discuss previous ones. At the same time, we would like to point out some cautionary observations to prevent a “basalt = palaeokarst” misunderstanding. Key words: palaeokarst, basalt intrusion, cave fills, Lessini Mountains.

Direct evidence of trophic interaction between a large lamniform shark, Cretodus sp., and a marine turtle from the Cretaceous of northeastern Italy

In the nineties of the 20th century, a large and partially articulated skeleton of a lamniform shark was discovered in Upper Cretaceous hemipelagic beds of the Venetian Prealps of northeastern Italy. The shark, dating back to the middle Turonian, is here ascribed to Cretodus and represents the first record of this genus in Italy. The fossil is the most complete specimen of Cretodus so far discovered and includes 120 teeth, 86 vertebral centra and many placoid scales. Closely associated with the remains of the shark (estimated total length over 6.5m) is a pellet-like accumulation of partially broken bones belonging to a large chelonioid turtle (about 2m of estimated total length). Some of the bones show evidence of damages referable to bites and possible acid etching. Because of this, and because of their position in correspondence of the abdominal region of the shark, the turtle remains are interpreted as stomach content. The taphonomy of this association is discussed and compared with other fossil records of shark predation/scavenging and with lamniform shark-chelonioid turtle interactions in modern marine environment. The Italian fossil represents the second evidence of a turtle swallowed by a shark in the fossil record and a direct evidence of the possible dietary preference of Cretodus, adding some evidence for discerning scavenging from predatory lifestyle.

Lopingian tetrapod footprints from the Venetian Prealps (Italy): new discoveries in a largely incomplete panorama

Lopingian tetrapod footprints from the Venetian Prealps (Italy): new discoveries in a largely incomplete panorama

Evolution of the ceramic production at the Alpine site of Castel de Pedena: technology and innovation between the Recent Bronze Age and the early Iron Age

Castel de Pedena (northeastern Italy) was a hillfort settlement located in the Venetian Prealps at 680 m above the sea level, in a position that likely conferred upon it a linking role between the Venetian plain and the Alpine areas. The first occupation of the area is dated to the Early Bronze Age, and continues, although intermittently, until the early phase of the Iron Age. The analysis of its Recent Bronze Age to Iron Age pottery assemblage has underlined the use of different recipes for the ceramic production over time. Variations in the raw material selection, clay processing choices, and firing conditions demonstrate a significant shift in the ceramic technology, and therefore, in the potters technological habits.

Going off the beaten path? The Casera Lissandri 17 site and the role of the Cansiglio plateau on human ecology during the Early Sauveterrian in North-eastern Italy

The Early Mesolithic colonization of the northeastern Italian Alps is well known thanks to the very high number of discoveries that have been made since the 1970's. Rich evidence from the Adige valley, in particular, led to the development of the so-called “vertical nomadism model,” based on the dichotomy of valley bottom and high altitude sites. The Sauveterrian evidence of the Cansiglio plateau, being located at mid-altitude in the Venetian pre-Alps, differs from the former settlement model. Based on the data achieved from the techno-economic and traceological analyses carried out on the lithic assemblage from the Casera Lissandri 17 site, the role and function of this evidence is analysed and contextualised. In particular, raw materials indicate a relation with the Belluno valley as far as provisioning territories are concerned. In accordance with its use-wear data and overall composition dominated by microliths, the site should be considered as a seasonal camp dedicated to hunting activities and to the preliminary processing of games.

New dating of palaeokarst features at Torricelle hills (Verona, Italy)

At the southern edge of the Lessini Mountains (Venetian Prealps,Italy), a well-developed palaeokarst network is found in the hills surroundingVerona, called Torricelle. Palaeokarst cavities are fossilizedby palaeosols of mostly limonitic composition ('yellow ochres'),which were mined for centuries for pigments. In the current interpretation,the age of the palaeokarst features is set between theOligocene and the early Miocene, when a regression took place in thecentral Lessini Mountains which partially emerged. In the Torricellearea, ochres are believed to be the insoluble residuals of subaerialweathering of upper-Priabonian marly limestones.The exploration of paleokarst cavities and of the surroundingarea has led to the discovery of terrigenous-calcarenitic layers embed -ded in the palaeosol fillings, containing foraminifera assemblageswhose age ranges from the upper Eocene to the upper OligocenelowerMiocene. In particular, one of the caves is developed in theMarne di Priabona Formation (lower Priabonian), and its ochre fillingcontains fossiliferous layers with Priabonian Foraminifera assemblages.The presence of fossils whose age is comparable to that ofthe host rock is a testimony of upper-Eocene eogenetic karst. Furthermore,the presence of ochre fragments embedded in nearbyYpresian and Bartonian limestones provides evidence of emergedland and pedogenesis in early and middle Eocene, partly disprovingthe current interpretation of ochres' formation.These findings provide evidence that ochre formation, karstdevelopment and its fossilisation started earlier than Miocene, aspreviously thought. Phenomena began in early Eocene and ended inMiocene, over a time span of at least 30 million years.