Geopark Bletterbach

Take a journey through millions of years on your hike through the Bletterbach Gorge. The UNESCO World Heritage Site offers a glimpse into the interior of the mountains, into the world of rocks and into the structure of the Dolomites. Scientists, hikers interested in geology, but also nature-loving families with children are presented with the gorge like an open book in which more than 40 million years of the earth's history can be read.

The Bletterbach Gorge is the result of weathering and erosion: since the last ice age about 18,000 years ago, it is estimated that more than ten billion tons of rock material have been transported into the Adige Valley by the force of water, wind and weather alone. And so, over a distance of about 8 kilometers, the small, inconspicuous stream has burrowed up to 400 meters deep into different geological eras. In contrast to the confused conditions in other areas of the Alps, here the rock layers have remained intact and have been exposed exactly as they were deposited millions of years ago. The structure of the rocks provides information about their formation as well as the climate and environmental conditions on our earth about 250 million years ago.