The Lombardian Maiolica Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous) is a 130 m-thick sedimentary sequence composed of white, decimetric strata of fine-grained, micritic limestone with typical conchoidal fracturing, containing dark chert nodules and layers. The sedimentatio rate was so slowly that circa 1000 years of life in the depths of the Tethys ocean are compressed today into 6 mm of rock. This formation can contain a great abundance of fossils (in particular aptici, calcareous plates in the form of tiny shields that might have had the function of protecting the ammonites from predators and Belemnite rostra). These rocks, almost white in color reflect the purity of their composition. The percentage of calcium carbonate can reach 95%; this has enabled, over the last century, an intensive use of this resource for the concrete industry.
Credits: UAV-based survey and photogrammetry processing are provided by Fabio L. Bonali.
References
- Oppizzi, P., Pasquaré Mariotto, F., Stockar, R., Stella, A., Corti, N., Pedicini, M., … & Bonali, F. L. (2023). Geosites in the Gole della Breggia Geopark, Ticino, Southern Switzerland. Resources, 12(10), 122. Geosite (stop) n. 3.