Vena del Gesso

The vein of gypsum

It is the most spectacular feature of our territory, standing out against the sky like a mountain chain

The vein of gypsum (la "Vena del Gesso") is one of the most remarkable features, from a geographical and geological point of view, of Romagna Apennines.

This formation of the terrain is called "Gypsum-sulfurous" (Messinian epoch, radiometric dating 6.5 - 5.5 millions years ago) and stretches from Piemonte to Sicily, but only here it makes the surface with such evidence.

It is the most spectacular and relevant feature of our territory, standing out against the sky like a mountain chain.

Places to visit

Tanaccia Cave

The carsic caves of Tanaccia, 200 hundred meters asl, spread for more than two kilometers, but the tourist walk covers about 500 meters and takes one hour

The Karst Park Carnè

Like a jewel, this park is embedded among the rocks of Rontana and Castelnuovo and it’s one of the most evocative place in the hills surrounding Brisighella.

Open air Geological Museum (once Monticino mine)

Important fossil remains of several five million years old vertebrates have also been found in the clayey layers.

Mauro Mountain

It's the highest peak in the Gypsum Vein (515 mt asl), with its unmistakable shape amongst the other hills of the River Sintria valley.

Geology

The outcrop of the Gypsum vein stretches from the Sillaro valley to the Lamone valley, along the eastern side of Apennines, direction WNW-ENE, 1.5 km wide, about 170 mt thick.

Due to the high solubility of this kind of rock the whole area present several karst phenomena, on the surface and subterranean: dolines, sinks and caves, often of remarkable size.

The Gypsum vein is composed of the same ore (calcium sulfate dihydrate) and has a crystalline structure with a peculiar sparkling, hence the popular names of 'Moon stone' or 'Selenite'.

How did it form?

The Gypsum-sulfurous formation can be compared to a wide fossil salt-mine deposited following the closure of the Gibraltar straight and the draining of the Mediterranean Sea..

The lack of water and the dry climate favoured the evaporation and the deposit of gypsum, a salt dissolved into the water; alternated influxes and defluxes of water caused the typical structure of alternating sediments of gypsum and marl.This process involved the entire Mediterranean area and took place for 15 or 16 times: every layer of the gypsum vein represent a sedimentary cycle.

Useful links

Romagna Gypsum vein site

Booklet: "The Monticino Cave" (Pdf 385 kb)

Trips on: appenninoromagnolo.it

Brisighella.org