Settsass circuit

Description

The starting point is Passo Valparola (Rifugio Valparola), from here following the CAI path no. 24 you head towards the northern part of the mountain, leaving the "Valparola" small lake on the left. Here the path leads through rhododendron meadows until you reach the saddle where the rocky slopes begin. 

From here continue on the CAI path no. 23 and, between one rock and another, you can see the "Col di Lana" getting closer and closer. 

For the clockwise route, from the "Valparola" Refuge head towards the small lake and take the CAI path no. 23, then return along the CAI path no. 24.

GPX and KML data

Details

The Settsass massif is a reference point for the history of geology, as it is one of the first areas studied in the Dolomites and is also called the "Richthofen" cliff.

This name derives from Baron "Richthofen", who, interested in the geology of the Dolomites, discovered in the 1800s that the Settsass was nothing but a coral reef. This mountain is very important geologically because it maintains the preserved geometries of two reefs dating back to the Triassic period (23 million years ago) with fossil submarine slopes and the connection with the deep sea deposits that surrounded them, the S. Cassiano formation.

In that era, they were located at tropical latitudes, and thanks to plate tectonics, they moved to where we see them now.

The research by Baron "Richthofen" was fundamental because it helped to establish plate tectonics, according to which portions of the rocky crust covering the planet can move, over geological eras, even thousands of kilometers from the place where they were formed.

OTHER INFO :

• The "Settsas" became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 and is part of system no. 5
• The "Settsas" is composed of two ancient superimposed atolls, the Settsass and the small Settsass.