Dolomites

Mountain group lying in the eastern section of the northern Italian Alps, bounded by the valleys of the Isarco (northwest), the Pusteria (north), the Piave (east and southeast), the Brenta (southwest), and the Adige (west). The range comprises a number of impressive peaks, 18 of which rise to more than 10,000 feet (3,050 metres). The highest point is the Marmolada (10,964 feet), the southern face of which consists of a precipice 2,000 feet high. The range and its characteristic rock take their name from the 18th-century French geologist Dieudonné Dolomieu, who made the first scientific study of the region and its geology. Geologically, the mountains are formed of light-coloured dolomitic limestone, which erosion has carved into grotesque shapes. The resulting landforms include jagged, saw-edged ridges, rocky pinnacles, screes (pebble deposits) of limestone debris, deep gorges, and numerous steep rock faces at relatively low levels. Glaciated features occur at higher levels; 41 glaciers

lie in the region. Many of the lower and more gentle scree slopes were once forested; only patches of woodland remain, however, interspersed with grassy meadows.