Bletterbach

The Bletterbach System covering just 271 hectares within the Province of Bolzano, is the smallest of the UNESCO Dolomite Systems. This natural monument is a narrow gorge running through the territory of the municipalities of Aldino and Redagno, Monte Pausabella/Schönrast and Passo degli Oclini. Geographically separated from the other Dolomite chains it is dominated by the summit of Corno Bianco/Weisshorn, 2,317m. The enchanting landscape of the Bletterbach System is also a geological treasure-trove.

The gorge was formed by the Bletterbach mountain stream eroding the rock formations of volcanic origin found in this area. The canyon narrows from a width of 200-300 metres at the top, to 20-30 metres at its floor and it is over 400 metres deep. The riverbed is punctuated in at least four places by spectacular waterfalls dozens of metres in height. The upper part of the gorge opens up into a basin, 600-700m in diameter, over which looms the Corno Bianco/Weisshorn mountain in all the immaculate glory of its white Dolomite rock.

The 900m gradient between the Corno Bianco/Weisshorn peak and the bottom of the Bletterbach gorge is a journey in time, relating the history of our planet. No other place in the Alps or Dolomites has such perfectly preserved rock strata visible to the naked eye, demonstrating in minute detail how the Dolomites were transformed in the time between the Early Permian era and the extinction event of the Late Permian/Triassic era.

Given the enormous geological importance of the Bletterbach System, in 2005 the Municipality of Aldino created the Bletterbach GEOPARC, stretching from Aldino to Redagno, a geological park within a natural monument.

Bletterbach 8

Geology

This is actually the smallest System, but it can be considered the Grand Canyon of the Dolomites. It consists of a gorge up to 400 metres deep, sculpted by the Bletterbach mountain stream, making it possible to observe the sequence of basal Dolomite rocks laid down between the late Permian and Anisian periods. The gorge also cuts through layers containing traces of the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history. The outcrops of rock bear witness to the sequence of different paleo-environments, from volcanic rocks to the marine rocks of the first Dolomite Sea. The deep gorge carved by the Bletterbach runs for approximately 8 km and overall rises 1100 m in altitude. It generally runs E-W, its path sometimes interrupted by some entrenched meanders, the result of a network of tectonic fractures. This System of the Dolomites World Heritage Site is notable as the perfect laboratory to study forms of stream erosion and the way in which these are affected by the stratigraphic architecture of the underlying bedrock.

The geology of System 8: Bletterbach – PDF

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Stages of the Dolomites World Heritage Geotrail: 7

360° pictures of the Dolomites World Heritage Geotrail: Bletterbach

This is actually the smallest System, but it can be considered the Grand Canyon of the Dolomites. It consists of a gorge up to 400 metres deep, sculpted by the Bletterbach mountain stream, making it possible to observe the sequence of basal Dolomite rocks laid down between the late Permian and Anisian periods. The gorge also cuts through layers containing traces of the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history. The outcrops of rock bear witness to the sequence of different paleo-environments, from volcanic rocks to the marine rocks of the first Dolomite Sea. The deep gorge carved by the Bletterbach runs for approximately 8 km and overall rises 1100 m in altitude. It generally runs E-W, its path sometimes interrupted by some entrenched meanders, the result of a network of tectonic fractures. This System of the Dolomites World Heritage Site is notable as the perfect laboratory to study forms of stream erosion and the way in which these are affected by the stratigraphic architecture of the underlying bedrock.

The geology of System 8: Bletterbach – PDF

Accessible Dolomites

Museums

High quality

Stages of the Dolomites World Heritage Geotrail: 7

360° pictures of the Dolomites World Heritage Geotrail: Bletterbach

Bletterbach gorgeBletterbach gorgeBletterbach gorge as seen from above, with Corno Bianco and Corno Nero

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Gola del Bletterbach