The Adamello-Presanella and Brenta Massifs, Central Alps: Contrasting High-Mountain Landscapes and Landforms

The massifs of Adamello-Presanella and Brenta, located at the easternmost extremity of the Rhaetian Alps, are two mountain groups which differ considerably one from the other, from both geological and geomorphological viewpoint. The former is mostly made up of igneous rocks of a large batholith formed by several tonalite plutons, granodiorites and gabbros. It is the largest and most spectacular intrusive body of Alpine Tertiary magmatism. Morphology of this area clearly shows typical features of a high-mountain landscape which has been intensely modelled by glaciers, with deep glacial U-shaped trough valleys, laterally flanked by sheer rock slopes and long glacial terraces. In the Brenta Massif the oldest rocks are Permian volcano-sedimentary deposits but the most widespread formation is Dolomia Principale, a typical carbonate shelf formation made up of a monotonous sequence of typically laminated dolostone layers. The most famous peaks of this group are modelled in this formation which, in its central sector, makes up a majestic landscape dominated by steeples, innacles and sheer rock faces. The Brenta Massif is also characterized by glacial landforms, mainly cirques, although karst landscape is the most dominant in this massif. The widespread presence of rocks subject to karst processes makes the Brenta Massif one of the most important karst areas in the Dolomites, with an extremely well-articulated subsurface drainage network.