Geomorphology
of Fondotoce Natural Reserve
Plain formation
They say that during the Pleistocene (from 1,650,000 to 10,000 years ago) a huge glacier covered Ossola and that it split into two branches around Montorfano, one forming Lake Maggiore and the second Lake Orta.
Montorfano is a granitic mountain dating back to about 300 millions of years ago, that was not swept away by the glacier but was modelled by it. From a geological point of view it is part of the massif of Mottarone; the two mountains are separated by the plain formed by river Toce that flows around Montorfano and into the lake.
At the end of the last glaciation (about 10,000 years ago) river Toce began to deposit alluvial debris in Lake Maggiore. The continuous depositing of debris at last separated Lake Maggiore from Lake Mergozzo (probably in XV cent.)
The granites
The granite quarries on Montorfano and on the hills of Feriolo and Mergozzo were opened in the Roman times.
Pictures from the first half of XIX cent. show bigger quarries than today, probably because of different techniques of mining and of the diffusion of goat breeding, that prevented vegetation to cover those sites.
Up to the first half of 1900’s, the skilful “scalpellini” (stonecutters) migrated to the rest of Europe and to America.
The most known granite of this area is the so-called “pink granite of Baveno”, which colour comes from the presence of pink orthoclase. From the quarries of Feriolo and of Montorfano they draw out a lighter granite, white or greyish-white one, while the so-called “granite of Mergozzo” tends to green.
From the quarries of Candoglia, still used today, the big blocks of marble used for the building of Milan’s cathedral were shipped to the city along river Toce, Lake Maggiore, river Ticino and the Navigli (shipping canals).
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Last updated February 20th, 2004
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