| Geology |
| Geological travel of Ligurie |
Map of Liguria.
The atlas with maps and drawings and watercolours in perspective, representing the Dominio della Serenissima Repubblica di Genova in terraferma had been realized by the cartographer Matteo Vinzoni. It had been presented to the Genoa Republic on 2 August 1773. Genoa, Berio Library)
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| Creation Year: 1773 |
| For more information select "français" language. |
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| The geological discovery of Liguria |
Arturo Issel (1842-1922)
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| Info: en |
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Giuseppe Mojon (1772-1837)
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Gaetano Rovereto(1890-1952)
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| Mount Bego (Mercantour National Park) |
Augusto Béguinot, "L’opera scientifica e filantropica di Clarence Bicknell", Pavia, Fusi, 1931 : Clarence Bicknell portrait (Genoa, Berio Library)
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| Creation Year: 0 |
| [For more information select "français" language] |
| Info: en |
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The Wizard. Frottage by Clarence Bicknell (University of Genoa, Dip.Te.Ris.)
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The letter (September 8, 1912) sent by Clarence Bicknell to Arturo Issel concerning the prehistoric engraving called "The Wizard" (University of Genoa, Dip.Te.Ris.)
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| The Balzi Rossi (Red Rocks) |
Arturo Issel, "Liguria geologica e preistorica", Genoa, A. Donath, 1829, plate n. 21, the "Balzi Rossi" caves (Genoa, Berio Libray)
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| The Balzi Rossi caves are at the southern limit of the hilly massif of the Alps, which extends to the sea along the coast, separating the Italian territory of Liguria to the east from Provence and the basin of the Rhône River in France to the west. This particular topography meant that the caves were en route for those who travelled through or lived in this region over the millennia. During the Upper Paleolithic period, the obstacle of the Alpine glaciers made a stop at the caves obligatory. Man was present here from the time of the Riss glaciations (which began 240,000 years ago) until the Mesolithic.
[For more information select “français” language] |
| Info: en |
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Gaetano Rovereto, "I Bausi Rossi e la Riviera al confine francese", Florence, 1928, plate n. 11. The “Barma Grande” (Barma means cave in the local dialect), a deep and narrow fissure originally 28 metres long, one of the caves and rock shelters in the red limestone cliff built before the 2nd World War destruction (Genoa, Berio Libray)
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| The Finale Ligure Area |
Chlamys rotundata, Miocenic shell fossil. These kind of fossils provide us information on the tropical marine paleo-environment existing during the Miocenic period (between 23 and 13 millions of years ago) in the Finale area (University of Genoa, Dip.Te.Ris)
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| Creation Year: 0 |
| [For more information select “français” language] |
| Info: en |
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The journal handwritten by Lorenzo Pareto, N. 5, 1860-1864: Geologic section of Finale (University of Genoa, C.S.B. Biologia Scienze della Terra e del Mare)
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Handwritten notes by Arturo Issel concerning the “Pollera” cave in the Finale area (Genoa, “Mazzini” Institute)
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Peter Paul Rubens, Palazzi antichi di Genova. Palazzi moderni di Genova, Anversa, Meursio, 1663 : the “Cattaneo Adorno” Palace (Genoa, Berio Library)
The road, at those times called “Strada Nuova” (now Via Garibaldi), was built by the main noble families of the city, who constructed their own residences on the edges of the Old Town using the “Finale” stone.
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Peter Paul Rubens, Palazzi antichi di Genova. Palazzi moderni di Genova, Anversa, Meursio, 1663: the “Carrega Cataldi” Palace (Genoa, Berio Library)
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| The Bergeggi Sea Cave |
The journal handwritten by Lorenzo Pareto, N. 1, 1832-1833: Geologic section of the Savona coast and the Bergeggi Island (University of Genoa, C.S.B. Biologia Scienze della Terra e del Mare)
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| The morphology of the section of coastline between Bergeggi and Spotorno is very varied. There are two reasons why this section of coastline is of such interest and so deserving of conservation and enhancement. The first is linked to the lithology of the area and its sedimentary and tectonic substrate structures, the second to the radical modelling of the latter as a result of the action of exogenous agents.
The substrate is made up to a greater or lesser degree of calcareous dolomites. The rock is at times massive and at times well-stratified, with some slate type intercalations. All this has conditioned the erosion and therefore the profile of the coast, providing an excellent example of the relationship between the coastal morphology and geological aspects of the substrate.
The second aspect is linked to dynamic exogenous processes, of which the most significant is the
karstic process which caused the existing cavities, many linked to the sea and re-modelled by it.
The highest sea levels, in the Pleistocene and Holocene periods, gave rise to cliffs, caves, channels and platforms along the coast.
An analysis of sections inside the caves has allowed us to establish the height of the characteristic forms Combining this with a study of the deposits found has enabled us to establish three sea levels at 5.20, 3.90 and 2.80 m. The paleo-marine levels found in Bergeggi most probably originated in the last interglacial period. |
| Info: en |
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The Bergeggi Island 50.000 years ago (Drawing by Fabio Boccardo for the Bergeggi Municipality)
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| Mount Beigua |
Garnets from the “Beigua Regional Nature Park” (University of Genoa, Dip.Te.Ris.)
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| The Beigua Massif
The Beigua area is extremely important for the reconstruction of the geological history of Italy, especially for understanding the evolution of the Alps and the Apennines. This territory is classified as “Beigua Regional Nature Park” and it is recognized as an international “Geopark” within the European Geoparks Network supported by the UNESCO Global Network of Geoparks. The main points of interest of the Beigua Geopark are: an extensive ophiolitic (green stones) area with an Alpine metamorphic imprint that represents a fragment of original Jurassic oceanic basin that rarely crops out so diffusely in the Alps or Europe; impressive geomorphological features testifying to processes in a periglacial environment; fascinating and well-preserved fossiliferous deposits; different sites of mineralogical interest.
[For more information select “français” language]
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| Info: en |
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A Neolithic axe made of Jadeite (the Green Stone) (University of Genoa, Dip.Te.Ris.)
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Nicolò Morelli, Iconografia della preistoria ligustica, Genova, Tipografia R. Istituto Sordomuti, 1901 (University of Genoa, C.S.B. Biologia Scienze della Terra e del Mare)
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Nicolò Morelli, Iconografia della preistoria ligustica, Genova, Tipografia R. Istituto Sordomuti, 1901, plate 49. Neolithic axes made of Jadeite (the Green Stone)(University of Genoa, C.S.B. Biologia Scienze della Terra e del Mare)
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| The Genoa area |
Giuseppe Mojon, "Descrizione mineralogica della Liguria", Genova, Frugoni, 1805. The mineralogical map of the Polcevera valley (Genoa, Berio Library)
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| Many churches in Genoa were built using different kind of stones which are present in Genoa Area : the “Verde Polcevera” (a green stone coming from the Polcevera valley), the “Pietra di Promontorio” and the alabaster coming from the Gazzo mountain [For more information select “français” language] |
| Info: en |
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Domenico Piaggio, "Epitaphia, sepulcra et inscriptiones cum stemmatibus, marmorea et lapidea existentia in ecclesiis Genuensibus", a 18th century manuscript (1720) property of the Berio Library. The front of the San Matteo church in Genoa was built using the stone called “Pietra di Promontorio”.
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Carlo Giuseppe Ratti, "Instruzione di quanto può vedersi di più bello in Genova", Genova, Gravier, 1780 (Genoa, Berio Library). The San Lorenzo Cathedral was built using different stones present in the Genoa Area.
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Martin Pierre Gauthier, "Les plus beaux édifices de la Ville de Gênes et de ses environs", Paris, P. Didot l’Ainé, 1818-1832(Genoa, Berio Library). The “S.ma Annunziata del Vastato” church was built using the alabaster coming from the Gazzo mountain.
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| The Pliocene in Genoa |
“The sirenians and the sharks in the tropical sea during the Pliocene” reconstruction drawn by Fabio Boccardo for The Berio Library
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| Many fossils dated back to 4-5 millions of years ago had been discovered between the end of 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, when Via XX Settembre and Piazza De Ferrari were opened. Geological studies revealed that where Genoa is situated now, in the past there was a warm and shallow sea, where big shellfishes, sharks, and sea mammals similar to dugongs were living.
[For more information select “français” language]
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| Info: en |
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Strombus, Pliocene fossil (University of Genoa, Dip.Te.Ris.)
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Lorenzo Pareto, Carta geologica della Liguria marittima, published in "Descrizione di Genova e del Genovesato", Genova, Ferrando, 1846 (Genoa, Berio Library). The first geological map of Liguria region
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| The Fontanabuona valley |
The journal handwritten by Lorenzo Pareto, n. 5, 1860-1864. Geologic section “Cicagna – Madonna di Caravaggio – Monte di Portofino slate quarries” (University of Genoa, C.S.B. Biologia Scienze della Terra e del Mare)
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| Creation Year: 0 |
| Slate-producing regions in Europe include Liguria, especially the territory between the town of Lavagna (which means blackboard in Italian) and the Fontanabuona valley.
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low grade regional metamorphism.
[For more information select “français” language]
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| Info: en |
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Nicolò Della Torre, Guida del viaggiatore alle cave delle lavagne nella Liguria, Chiavari, Botto, 1838. Title page (Genoa, Berio Library)
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Nicolò Della Torre, Guida del viaggiatore alle cave delle lavagne nella Liguria, Chiavari, Botto, 1838. Slate extraction (Genoa, Berio Library)
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Slate roofs in the Genoa Old Town (Genoa, Centro di documentazione per la storia, l'arte e l'immagine di Genova)
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| The Graveglia Valley |
Tinzenite crystals and clear quartz
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| The manganese district of the Graveglia valley produced over one million tons of high-grade ore in about a century of operation, reaching a maximum production rate of about 50,000 tons per year. The deposits are rather small, but has yielded to date over 125 mineral species, some of which are remarkable for beauty or rarity.
The Graveglia valley is the type locality for eight minerals (ravegliaite, medaite, palenzonaite, reppiaite, saneroite, strontiopiemontite, tiragalloite and vanadomalayaite), and it is one of the few reported localities for several other rare species including gamagarite, marsturite, nabiasite, haradaite and pyrobelonite. This deposit has also produced exceptional specimens of tinzenite, sursassite and ganophyllite.
Human presence in the Graveglia valley dates back to the Copper-Bronze Age. In eastern Liguria, in particular, several ancient mines are known. At Rocche di Lagorara, about 3000 years BC, jasper chips were quarried to make tools. In the mining complex of Libiola and in the neighboring Monte Loreto area, about 10 km from the Graveglia valley, stone hammers and other primitive wood mining tools were found. In the 18th century the mining operations in Liguria grew to industrial scale. Mining continued, with frequent ups and downs, well into the 1900’s. The last workings were closed in the 1950’s.
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| Info: en |
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Old photos of the work in the Graveglia Valley mines (SIL.MA. Society Archives)
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Old photos of the work in the Graveglia Valley mines (SIL.MA. Society Archives)
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Old photos of the work in the Graveglia Valley mines (SIL.MA. Society Archives)
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| The Levanto area |
The “Rosso di Levanto” marble
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| Creation Year: 0 |
| The Levanto area shows an astonishing complex of substrata with different petrographic characters: in a few kilometres, sandstones, serpentinites, gabbros and basalts occur in geometric association. The ophiolitic rocks are considered to be fragments of the oceanic crust and upper mantle. The “Levanto red” marble was used in the Genoese churches. |
| Info: en |
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Domenico Piaggio, Epitaphia, sepulcra et inscriptiones cum stemmatibus, marmorea et lapidea existentia in ecclesiis Genuensibus, a 18th century manuscript (1720) preserved by the Berio Library. The “San Lorenzo” cathedral was built using the “Rosso di Levanto” marble
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Guida Tascabile di Genova e i suoi dintorni, Milano, Guigoni, 1887. The interior of Genoa cathedral (Genoa, Berio Library)
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Madrid, Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Basilica of St. Francis the Great). The "Rosso di Levanto" marble (Photo by María Luisa Tárraga Baldó – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas)
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| The La Spezia area |
The journal handwritten by Lorenzo Pareto, n. 1, 1832-1833. Geologic section of the Palmaria Island (University of Genoa. C.S.B, Biologia Scienze della Terra e del Mare)
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| Creation Year: 0 |
| [For more information select “français” language] |
| Info: en |
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Arturo Issel, Liguria geologica e preistorica, Genova, A. Donath, 1829, plate 9. The Porto Venere coast (Genoa, Berio Library)
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Domenico Piaggio, Epitaphia, sepulcra et inscriptiones cum stemmatibus, marmorea et lapidea existentia in ecclesiis Genuensibus, a 18th century manuscript (1720) preserved by the Berio Library. The church called “Chiesa del Gesù” in Genoa was built using the “Portoro”, a black stone coming from Porto Venere
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Genoa, “Chiesa del Gesù”: balustrade
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