A gigantic volcano located in what is now the heart of the Western Alps that shows its deepest parts. An open-air wreck that we can still admire today, if we know where to look.
About 300 million years ago, when there was only one continent on Earth called Pangea, a volcano exploded, erupting an immense quantity of material and releasing energy equal to 250 atomic bombs.
Between 60 and 30 million years ago the same processes that formed the Alps, raised and rotated the part of the Earth’s crust where the exploded volcano was located, highlighting its feeding system, up to about 30 km deep: it is a unique case in the world!
The overturning of the earth’s crust exposes the deepest parts of the volcano’s feeding system: thus, the entire magma apparatus that was once under the volcano at a depth of about 25 kilometers, emerges allowing us to admire parts that are generally inaccessible.
Supervolcanoes, also called “large calderas” are characterized by very high explosive eruptions in which thousands of cubic kilometers of material are emitted, generally leading to the collapse of the magma chamber.
Today the caldera is no longer recognizable due to the succession of geological processes that have modified its profile but, with a careful eye, we can observe some areas in which deep volcanic rocks resurface.
The Supervolcano area is part of the “UNESCO Global Geoparks” managed by the Associazione Geoturistica Supervulcano Valsesia.
The proposed excursions accompany the visitor in the discovery of a territory made of splendid panoramas and corners full of natural and cultural riches: they are places where the history of man and that of the planet have been intertwined for a long time.
Fieldwork reveals the invisible thread that links the development of culture and traditions to the geological processes that transform the Earth, an unusual and highly topical point of view.
The excursions include an introductory presentation and a visit to the most significant geosites along the Sesia River, including:
– Dinelli (Scopa): Rocks of the Insubric Line, boundary between the European and African plates.
– Balmuccia: Peridotite outcrops among the best preserved in the world.
– Isola di Vocca: Deep rocks of the magmatic system.
– Prato Sesia: Outcrops of volcanic megabreccia inside the caldera
To participate in an excursion to the Supervolcano of Valsesia contact the Associazione Supervulcano Valsesia
“Sesia Val Grande Geopark”
Corso Roma 33
Varallo (Vercelli)
Piedmont – Italy
What to see in the province in the surroundings nearby places to visit Curiosities natural attractions Excursions Geosites Volcanoes Geology