How the Dolomites Were Formed

At the beginning of the Mesozoic Era – dating back about 250 million years – the area now considered the Alpine area was a part of the Pangaea continent and was situated further to the south than it is today. It was located within the tropical climate zone of the earth.

At the beginning, the entire Alpine area was located below sea level. This ocean featured numerous mollusks, algae, corals and fish and led to an enormous limestone production in this area.

Due to volcanic activity and the consequent outpouring of basaltic magma, these organisms died off on a massive scale and were deposited on the seabed. This is why the Dolomites in these days are a paradise for fossil researchers. Tectonic activity lifted the seabed, the primordial ocean slowly receded and the main Dolomites began to surface. The movement of the earth’s plates lifted the mountain range, sandstone hardened thanks to the high calcareous content and was compressed due to an enormous pressure exerted from the geological layers above.

During the Ice Age – about 15,000 years ago – the earth was covered by a layer of up to 1,500 m of ice. After being covered by ice for ca. 15,000 years, the Dolomite peaks finally surfaced. Meltwaters released by the melting of snow and ice changed the look of the young mountain range yet again: Masses of rocks, boulders, and debris were washed into the valley along with the water. Really, it is the water that does the work: sculpting and molding the mountains then and now, since the inexorable work of the rain and ice still continues to this day.

Named after: Deodat de Dolomieu
In 1750, Deodat de Dolomieu was born the ninth child of the local Baron in the town of Dolomieu in the French province Dauphine. Since 1774, when he was 24 years old, he spent his life time studying geology and mineralogy, newly blossoming sciences at the time.

His more important voyage in 1788/89 led him from Innsbruck, Austria, across the Brenner pass to Tyrol, Italy. In 1789, when he worked in South Tyrol between Gschnitz and Pflersch, he found a specific rock from the Tribulaun (part of the Stubaier Alps). He was not familiar with this type of rock, which looked like limestone, and was intrigued. After conducting several lab studies, he found out that the rock did not contain any water and that it did not produce gas when exposed to acid, as does the typical limestone.

Dolomieu assumed that this mineral was as yet unknown and so, in the same year, he sent several samples of this 'strange' rock to the chemist, botanist and geologist Nicholas de Saussure, son of Horace Bénédict de Saussure, who had scaled the Mont Blanc Mountain.

Dolomieu suggested the name 'Sassurite' for the rock discovered by him. But it was Sassure, who – against Dolomieu's vehement protests – named the mineral 'Dolomite'. He also catalogued the rock formation, from which the mineral was taken, under the name 'Dolomia'.

The name 'Dolomites' as a name for the entire region came to be commonly used as late as 1864.
Many minerals and rocks were either named after their discoverer or the landscape where they were found. Thus, it was atypical that this mountainous region should be called the Dolomites. The name Dolomites was derived from the mineral that was prevalent in the area, which, in turn, was named after its discoverer: Dolomites - Dolomite - Dolomieu. And thus, the Dolomites are named after a man, who may never have seen the pale mountains that carry his name.

Enrosadira – Natural Phenomenon of the Alpenglow
The unique mineralogical composition of the Dolomites produces an optical effect creating the most gorgeous sunset, known as Alpenglow, or "Enrosadira" as the locals call it. The presence of calcium carbonate and manganese in the dolomite rock causes the mountains to glow in increasingly intense vibrant hues of red. As the sun sets further, the colors soften to a mellow orange and darkening shades of violet until they disappear into the total darkness of the night. The Enrosadira is one of the most outstanding nature spectacles and has become one of the hallmarks of the Dolomites.

Tip: The most beautiful area to admire the Alpenglow is at the foot of the Rosengarten! 

The Bletterbach Gorge – the Dolomites: Layer by Layer 
Details about the Rosengarten
Accommodation in Welschnofen