The Veneto Region in the context of the "Italian paleontological heritage"

The Veneto region is very rich in paleontological heritage and has a tradition of paleontological and geological researches dating back to the 18th century. Moreover, the Veneto has a place in the history of stratigraphy: it was studying this region, in particular the Agno valley near Vicenza, that Giovanni Arduino introduced in 1759 the first successful subdivision of the Geologic Time Scale. Since important fossiliferous sites and paleontological museums in the Veneto Region are so numerous, the choice of only six localities for the inclusion in a national catalogue is difficult and somewhat arbitrary. The main criteria we followed for our selection were to include most provinces and to encompass the widest age range possible. However, we consider the list proposed only as a preliminary step towards a more complete description of the richness of the paleontological heritage of the region. To this purpose we present also a more complete inventory of paleontological sites and museums of Veneto. Heritage management and facilities vary widely among the proposed localities. For example, not all sites are adequately safeguarded, though most are included in protected areas, such as the Lessini Natural Park or the Dolomiti Bellunesi Park. Actually, fossils findings are often the consequence of quarrying or other excavation activities not related to scientific research. The sites proposed are the following: 1) Cortina d'Ampezzo (Dolomites, Belluno) - Rich, shallow marine molluscan association in Upper Triassic c1aystone deposits. The site consists of a series of outcrops occurring in the neighborhood of Cortina. The paleontological material is mainly housed in the "Museo delle Regole" of Cortina. 2) F.lla Staulanza - M.te Pelmetto (Dolomites, Belluno) - Dinosaurs footprints in the peritidal deposits of the Dolomia Principale, dating back to the Upper Trias. The site is located near the M.te Pelmetto and a cast of the dinosaurs tracks is visible in the nearby Museum of Selva di Cadore. 3) Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo (Lessini Mountains, Verona) - Pelagic limestone (Scaglia Rossa Formation) rich in vertebrates (turtles, mosasaurs, sharks), echinoids and rudists, Late Cretaceous in age. The material comes from the nearby limestone quarries but a real and accessible site does not exist. 4) Bolca - M. te Postale - Purga di Bolca (Lessini Mountains, Verona) - In the "Nummulitic Limestones" formation and in the interbedded volcanic arenites and lignites of Early-middle Eocene age, a rich associations of vertebrates (fishes, turtles, crocodiles), plants, insects, mollusks, c'orals and foraminifers made this the most famous italian fossil locality. The Lower Eocene "Pesciara di Bolca" is included in a paleontological tour organized by the local Museum. 5) Possagno (southern Monte Grappa Massif, Treviso) - The upper part of the Possagno Marl (Priabonian) outcropping in several quarries contains gastropods, bivalves, scaphopods, annelids, ahermatipic corals, macroforaminifera, plant remains bored by teredinid bivalves and rare vertebrate remains (Sirenia). The Possagno fauna was studied since the second half of the 19th century. This site includes a lacustrine deposit with Lower Pleistocene terrestrial vertebrates and plant remains near Steggio. 6) Priabona (Vicenza) - The Priabona section is the historical stratotype of the Priabonian stage and represents a classical area for the Paleogene stratigraphy. The Priabona Formation is particularly rich in mollusks, bryozoa, crustaceans, echinoderms, algae, plants and fish teeth.