Geomorphological features of the Dolomites (Italy).

The Authors, after a brief geographical and geological setting, describe the main geomorphological features of the Italian Dolomites which show a significant variety of landforms and surficial deposits, due to the spatial distribution of very different geological formations and to the complex Quaternary evolution of the region. Structural landforms, glacial, periglacial, gravitational landforms and deposits and karts phenomaena are reviewed and illustrated in some examples

Esempi di morfoneotettonica nelle Dolomiti occidentali e nell'Appcnnino modenese

Sono illustrati alcuni esempi di deduzioni neotettoniche fatte in base a studi di Morfotettonica. Vengono illustrati alcuni esempi che riguardano tre aree: due nelle Dolomiti e una nell'Appennino modenese

Pre-Alpine and Alpine deformation at San Pellegrino pass (Dolomites, Italy)

In this work, we present the geological map of the San Pellegrino pass, inserted in the spectacular scenario of the Dolomiti region (Southern Alps, Italy), at a scale of 1:10.000 and accompanied by geological cross-sections. The detailed distinction of lithological thin units allowed to achieve a consistent interpretation of the local structural setting by drawing brittle and ductile Alpine tectonic deformations. The differential deformation and structural styles within the geological map are the result of the different rheological nature of volcanic and sedimentary rocks, as well as of the superimposition of compressional Alpine tectonics over Permo-Mesozoic extensional tectonic phases, and consequent reactivation of inherited structures

ECMO for COVID-19 patients in Europe and Israel

Since March 15th, 2020, 177 centres from Europe and Israel have joined the study, routinely reporting on the ECMO support they provide to COVID-19 patients. The mean annual number of cases treated with ECMO in the participating centres before the pandemic (2019) was 55. The number of COVID-19 patients has increased rapidly each week reaching 1531 treated patients as of September 14th. The greatest number of cases has been reported from France (n = 385), UK (n = 193), Germany (n = 176), Spain (n = 166), and Italy (n = 136) .The mean age of treated patients was 52.6 years (range 16–80), 79% were male. The ECMO configuration used was VV in 91% of cases, VA in 5% and other in 4%. The mean PaO2 before ECMO implantation was 65 mmHg. The mean duration of ECMO support thus far has been 18 days and the mean ICU length of stay of these patients was 33 days. As of the 14th September, overall 841 patients have been weaned from ECMO support, 601 died during ECMO support, 71 died after withdrawal of ECMO, 79 are still receiving ECMO support and for 10 patients status n.a. . Our preliminary data suggest that patients placed on ECMO with severe refractory respiratory or cardiac failure secondary to COVID-19 have a reasonable (55%) chance of survival. Further extensive data analysis is expected to provide invaluable information on the demographics, severity of illness, indications and different ECMO management strategies in these patients

Age of the Mt. Ortles ice cores, the Tyrolean Iceman and glaciation of the highest summit of South Tyrol since the Northern Hemisphere Climatic Optimum

In 2011 four ice cores were extracted from the summit of Alto dell'Ortles (3859 m), the highest glacier of South Tyrol in the Italian Alps. This drilling site is located only 37 km southwest from where the Tyrolean Iceman, similar to 5.3 kyrs old, was discovered emerging from the ablating ice field of Tisenjoch (3210 m, near the Italian-Austrian border) in 1991. The excellent preservation of this mummy suggested that the Tyrolean Iceman was continuously embedded in prehistoric ice and that additional ancient ice was likely preserved elsewhere in South Tyrol. Dating of the ice cores from Alto dell'Ortles based on Pb-210, tritium, beta activity and C-14 determinations, combined with an empirical model (COPRA), provides evidence for a chronologically ordered ice stratigraphy from the modern glacier surface down to the bottom ice layers with an age of similar to 7 kyrs, which confirms the hypothesis. Our results indicate that the drilling site has continuously been glaciated on frozen bedrock since similar to 7 kyrs BP. Absence of older ice on the highest glacier of South Tyrol is consistent with the removal of basal ice from bedrock during the Northern Hemisphere Climatic Optimum (6-9 kyrs BP), the warmest interval in the European Alps during the Holocene. Borehole inclinometric measurements of the current glacier flow combined with surface ground penetration radar (GPR) measurements indicate that, due to the sustained atmospheric warming since the 1980s, an acceleration of the glacier Alto dell'Ortles flow has just recently begun. Given the stratigraphic-chronological continuity of the Mt. Ortles cores over millennia, it can be argued that this behaviour has been unprecedented at this location since the Northern Hemisphere Climatic Optimum

Paesaggi d'alta montagna: rocce cristalline. Tav. 4

Vengono descritte le morfologie che si impostano sulle rocce cristalline, desumibili dalla carta topografica

Dolomiti di Brenta, system 9

The Group of the Dolomiti di Brenta, situated in the western of the Trento Province, is delimited to the west from the line of the Giudicarie that together with the Insubrica line defines the NW limit of the Dolomitic region. This Group is roughly 42 km long, 15 km across and arranged transversally from north-east to south-west, covering an area of around 92 km\ub2 (attachment 2.13). The northern boundary is formed by the Sole Valley and the Valley of Non: to the west the Meledrio Valley, Campiglio Valley and Rendena Valley divide the Brenta Group from the nearby Adamello-Presanella massifs. The Valley of Non and the Adige Valley close the circle around the Brenta Group. The Bocca di Brenta divides the chain into two branches: to the north the Sfulmini chain, the Grost\ue9 massif and the long northern chain, with Altissimo and the Campa subgroup branching out to the east and to the south the Cima Tosa massif and the Ambiez chain. Among the tallest peaks of the Brenta Group are Cima Brenta (3,150 metres), Cita Tosa (3,173 metres) Ambi\ue9z (3,096 metres) and Vallon (2,935 metres). The main watercourses of the area are to the west \u2013 the Sarca which collects water from all the streams that flow down from western Brenta (Bondai, Ambiez, Rio dei Molini, Rio d\u2019Algone, Rio Valagola, Sarca del Brenta) and still to the west after Passo Campo Carlo Magno there is the Torrente Meledrio, a tributary of the River Noce which receives all the watercourses from the north-eastern slopes of Brenta. There are also numerous lakes: after Molveno, the largest lake in the Brenta Dolomite territory is Lake Tovel, once famous for the red coloration of the water. Other lakes include Valagola, in Val d\u2019Agola in the western sector, Lake Durigat near the Peller Refuge, Lake Salare near the ex-Cavalli malga and Lake Asbelz in the southern sector near the Passo della Nana

Laghetti d'alta quota. Introduzione; geomorfologia.

Viene descritta la genesi delle conche che ospitano specchi lacustri in alta montagna. Numerose sono le ragioni per cui sulla superficie terrestre si possono generare depressioni idonee a trattenere le acque; trattandosi nel caso specifico di laghetti alpini, le cause sono prevalentemente legate al fenomeno del glacialismo e subordinatamente ad alcuni processi di degradazione dei versanti quali le frane e le conoidi detritiche od alluvionali. Pi\uf9 rari, ma non per questo meno interessanti, sono i laghetti ospitati in conche di origine carsica, tettonica e in depressioni connesse con la presenza di lembi discontinui di permafrost. Ci si riferisce in quest\u2019ultimo caso ai laghetti ospitati sul dorso dei rock glacier o da essi sbarrati. Va comunque sottolineato che spesso la formazione di una conca lacustre \ue8 generata dalla coesistenza di pi\uf9 cause. Per quanto riguarda l\u2019origine glaciale delle conche, la casistica si fa estremamente articolata ed annovera fondamentalmente due condizioni: la prima in cui lo specchio lacustre \ue8 ancora in diretta relazione con il ghiacciaio, la seconda in cui il bacino si colloca in ereditate morfologie glaciali di erosione e/o di accumulo