I DEPOSITI DI GESSO NELLA GROTTA DI FAGGETO TONDO: NUOVI DATI SULL'EVOLUZIONE GEOMORFOLOGICA DELL'AREA DI MONTE CUCCO (ITALIA CENTRALE)

Abstract

Faggeto Tondo cave consists of about 3 km of inclined phreatic passages in the upper part of Mount Cucco ( central Apennines). Bere, a large amount of gypsum deposits testify to the past flow of sulfidic water during cave development, in a geomor­phic and hydrogeologic setting wholly different from the present one. Some small similar deposits are also known in the dry phrea­tic passages of La Grotta, the greatest Mount Cucco cave, aver 25 km long and 900 m deep. All these phreatic passages develop mainly at altitudes between 1050 and 1400 m, while the present water table is at - 450 m. [...]