The environment: man and nature
Geology and landscape
The Orobie Alps were created some 20 million years ago in the Miocene period. Most of the chain is of metamorphic origin but there is also some sedimentary rock: conglomerates and sandstone such as the particular Verrucano lombardo.
The valleys are the result of erosion, caused first by glaciers and then by water. Mountain streams have modelled the valleys over the centuries, before flowing into the River Adda. Alpine lakes are also the result of the glaciers.
In a relatively limited space, these mountains are the guardians of a biodiversity deriving from the different substratum composition, varied morphology of the area, and the different altitudes within it. Different environments are characterised by particular animals and vegetation. To safeguard this biodiversity, the Valltellina Orobie Mountains park was set up in1989 as a regional mountain-forest park.
