| Daily program |
| Weather can be warm (up to 30�C) and/or quite cold (near or below 0�C)!!! |
| Part of the excursion will take place in high mountain enviroinment (up to 3500m): be sure that you can handle walking at high altitudes. |
| Bring WARM WATERPROOF clothes and MOUNTAIN SHOES! Walks will be on signalled paths in high mountain enviroinment, altitudes changes up to 900 m in a day!!! |
| First Day: meeting on the 15th of August (Novara railway station) from where we will leave at 13:00 for Gressoney (arrival time 15:00). From there, we will take a cableway to Passo dei Salati (2950m, panorama). After a short walk across the contact between Monte Rosa and Zermatt-Saas units (i.e. the European plate and Tethys ocean, respectively), we will reach Rifugio Citt� di Vigevano, 2864m, (or nearby Rifugio Guglielmina) for dinner. |
| Second Day: One group will visit the Zermatt-Saas ophiolites and underlying Monte Rosa basement, up to Rifugio Citt� di Mantova (3500 m)*, whereas the second group will come across the Zermatt-Saas meta-ophiolites towards the underlying Sesia-Lanzo unit (i.e. Adria microplate), down to Lago Gabiet (2342 m).Take away lunch. Return to Gressoney valley by cableway. Bus to Lillianes (eclogite-facies rocks of the Sesia-Lanzo unit) and then to Collegio Gervasone (dinner and discussion). |
| Third day: Departure for Saint-Marcel valley by minibus early in the morning. Walk to Servette Fe-Cu mine, with visit of ancient foundry and slags, and then to Praborna Mn mine (high pressure metamorphism of hydrothermal oceanic deposits). Retour through the abandoned mine village of Chuc and the unusual Cu hydroxide deposit in the river at Acqua Verde. Take away lunch, dinner at Gervasone. |
| Fourth day: departure by minibus to Cignana (coesite-bearing occurence in the Zermatt-Saas meta-ophiolites). Walk from Lago di Cignana (2158 m) down to the eclogitized oceanic metagabbro of Crepin (1557 m). Take away lunch; dinner at Gevasone. |
| Fifth day: departure to Cervinia by bus and then by cableway up to Plateau Rosa, for breathtaking view of the Cervino (Matterhorn) peak and the Africa/Europe collisional zone. On the 19th August in the afternoon trip to Florence by bus. |
| Notes: * - People of group 1 of the second day be aware that this itinerary requires alpinistic skills, a glacier has to be crossed and rampoons and proper equipment are mandatory. Good physical shape is essential! Alpine guides will be following the excursion. |
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| Trains from Milano Centrale railway station to Novara on the 15th of august (from Italian timetable) Milano Novara Milano Novara Milano Novara 8.20 8.58 9.20 9.58 11.15 11.46 11.20 11.58 12.20 12.58 |
| For those whishing to participate consider that: - The required physical effort will not be great, but we will spend all days in the field; - The program takes into account more than one itinerary when there are long parts; - The first day and night we will stay above 2500 mt, this can cause problems in people with heart problems or asthma! Some people can experience altitude problems and feel bad: if you have already experienced such problems, please communicate with us. - All itineraries are on signalled paths, except group 1 of the second day: this option is strongly recommended only to people with alpinistic experience. Itinerary 2 is downhill on signalled paths. |
| As thay are available, informations about the field trip will be posted on this site and sent to the mailing list. Please write to: [email protected] |
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