The dunes are sandy bodies of eolian origin, that is formed by the action of the wind touching the soil. Their shape, height, and width depend on the direction of the wind and on the supply of sand and vegetation. As a matter of fact, the latter aims at trapping the sediment and at preventing the dunes from advancing towards the inland. The dunes slowly move as the wind pushes the sand up to the ridge. In this way, the upwind side suffers from wind erosion, while the leeward side, on which the sand falls for the gravity, grows.
Transversal section of a dune and advancing due to wind erosion on the upwind side and accumulation on the leeward side |
Most of these morphologies characterizing the delta territory are fossil, that is due to phenomena which have already come to an end. Therefore, they represent irreplaceable "historical snapshots", essential to understand the evolution of the Po Delta. As a matter of fact, the fossil dunes represent the ancient border between land and sea before the river Po, transporting the detritus towards the mouth, could create the present delta lands, moving forward the coastline. Their dating has been possible thanks to historical documents and several archaeological finds which have been discovered during various excavation campaigns.
In this way it has been possible to find out eight bars, more or less preserved, which represent eight historical periods.
The most ancient one, which is the westernmost and where the fossil dunes of Massenzatica belong, dates back to the pre-Etruscan period (about 3,000 years ago). The most recent dune bar dates back to a period after 1600 AD.
Often these bars are no longer visible because of natural degradation (alluvial phenomena and subsidence) or because of human activities (agricultural activities or sand extractions).
In Massenzatica the dunes were particularly high, reaching up to 7 meters above sea level. The line of dunes went once from Ravenna to Chioggia and passed by Massenzatica. Nowadays, especially in the last 100 years, this line has disappeared nearly entirely as the terrain has been cultivated for farming. Furthermore the sand has been mined. The fossil dunes of Massenzatica are very important regarding geomorphology. For this reason, the region Emilia-Romagna has declared them a nature reserve. It belongs to the province of Ferrara and is about 51 hectare in size.
Visiting the site:
The dunes can be visited free of charge and there is a visitors center. For a guided tour, you can call the WWF in Ferrara (tel. 0039-053260008 or 0039-3395996650, Mrs. Maria). The visitors center is open all the year from Monday to Saturday, except during the Christmas vacation.
We do not recommend this location for mobility impaired visitors, as the terrain is difficult.
Before logging this cache as visited, please send me the replies to the following questions using the link in my profile. You can find the replies for the first two questions on the information panel at the coordinates. Unfortunately it is only in the Italian language, to make it easier for you I indicate you also the lines in which you can find the reply.
1) In which year have the dunes been declared a nature reserve? (line 1)
2) How far is the sea nowadays? (line 2)
3) At coordinates are we above or below the sea level? How many meters?
4) Add a picture of you and your gps at coordinates or while you're visiting the dunes
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