Enhancement of glacial and periglacial geomorphosites based on geomorphological and dendrochronological research. An example from Trafoi valley (Ortles Cevedale Group)

Many studies on geomorphology, glacial geology and glaciology have been carried out for years on the Alps with the goal of reconstructing the glacier history of the upper Holocene and the Little Ice Age. However, the results of this research are typically almost exclusively used by specialised researchers and their dissemination is lacking for people not working in these fields. At the same time, people enjoying the alpine environment are becoming more interested in learning about biotic and abiotic natural topics. These needs can be satisfied by creating naturalistic itineraries suitable for the communication of the scientific results in an easy and correct language. The scientific support can be given by naturalistic guides, illustrated panels or simply by brochures. The goal of this work is to demonstrate how both geomorphological and vegetational aspects concur in the reconstruction of Holocene glacier history. Moreover, this kind of integration allows to understand the sequence of the glacial processes. Finally, these naturalistic aspects can be easily observable along high mountain trails. The proposed work is an example showing how to apply these concepts along a thematic itinerary where geomorphology and dendrochronology are the two main subjects. In particular, the results about Quaternary geology, geomorphology and dendrogeomorphology recently carried out in upper Val Venosta (Trafoi Valley-Alto Adige), with the goal of reconstructing the glacier history of the Madaccio Glacier, are reported. Apart from proposing an itinerary, this work suggests how to prepare a “geotouristic” guided trail, able to easily transfer to a wide public the results of the basic research. Beyond logistic information, an explanation of the geomorphological evolution of the territory, using description, illustrations and drawings has been included.