Val del Mis
Access: From Pian Falcina (Lago del Mis) to La Stua, along the SP road (provincial road), with short lateral detours (Val Brenton, Val Soffia)
A big transverse valley
Val del Mis, a narrow and deep canyon set between high smooth and receding walls, is a very ancient transverse valley, crossing (transversally) the whole chain of Dolomiti Bellunesi, giving in this way the opportunity to observe the main geological formations, from Scaglia rossa (entrance of the valley) to Dolomia Principale. As it is often true for ancient valleys, Val del Mis is a complex environmental system, whose morphological evolution depended on glaciers, watercourses, the slopes degradation processes (landslides and erosion) and, locally, karst corrosion. The glacial action carried out by the ancient Mis glacier during the glacial period can be recognized for the slightly U-shape of the transversal silhouette (rather large valley bottom and rather steep slopes). The stretch between lower Gena and Titele ("Canal del Mis") is particularly charming, since it looks like a gorge deeply dug into the stratified rocks in subhorizontal banks of Dolomia Principale (river-karst canyon). The gorge is bordered with a system of narrow/deep lateral valleys and ravines, some of which clearly situated along important faults (Val Falcina, Val Brenton, Val Soffia). With short detours from the main road, it is possible to enter and explore very charming and interesting micro-environments:
- (a) the "cadini" (potholes) of Brenton, potholes dug in the subhorizontal rocky strata of Dolomia Principale, with their vortical water movements and detritus transported during the floods
- (b) Soffia waterfall, a high waterfall situated in a ravine
- (c) La Stua karst springs, waters coming from the rocks of Dolomia Principale, representing one of the main routes of the subterranean drainage of Piani Eterni karst plateau
- (d) (e) the shores of torrent Mis, with a rich variety of pebbles: light color pebbles (limestone, dolomia), dark volcanic pebbles (porphyry, andesites, volcanic sandstone), multicolored pebbles (conglomerates, gneiss), foliated silver-gray pebbles (phyllites).
