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Geological Formations

Earth Pyramids of Ritten

Erosional and Karst Formations

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The earth pyramids of Ritten are natural rock pillars on the Ritten plateau near Bolzano in South Tyrol, northern Italy, known locally in German as Erdpyramiden am Ritten and in Italian as Piramidi di terra del Renon, and also called Lahntürme, or landslide towers. They formed from glacial moraine deposits, standing as columns that narrow with height and are typically capped by a protective stone cap that slows the erosion of the softer material beneath. Classified as hoodoos, they are recognized as natural monuments in Italy and are part of a wider phenomenon of similar earth pyramid formations found elsewhere in South Tyrol, including at Platten. The formations are constantly eroding and are expected eventually to collapse and be replaced by new pillars as erosion continues to work the moraine.

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