Field Trip Leaders: Monica Ghirotti1, Matteo Massironi2, Filippo Catani2, Mario Floris2, Giulio Di Toro2
1Università di Ferrara.
2Università di Padova.
Date: 14 September 2025
Cost: € 150 (FULL); € 80 (REDUCED SIMP/SGI/EAG members); € 135 (REDUCED Societies affiliated to SGI)
Minimum number of participants: 20
Maximum number of participants: 40
Description
The 1963 Vajont landslide is one of the best known worldwide examples of disasters induced by human activity. On October 9th, 1963, a mass of approximately 270million m3 detached from the northern side of Mt. Toc and slid into the reservoir at velocities up to 30 m/sec. A wave subsequently overtopped the dam and swept into the Piave Valley below, resulting in approximately 2000 deaths. The landslide was characterized by a long-term phase of accelerating creep lasting 2-3 years, beginning with the first filling of the reservoir, followed by the catastrophic failure, during the third filling of the reservoir. The slide moved a 250 m thick mass of rock some 300 to 400 m horizontally, before running up and stopping against the opposite side of the Vajont Valley. The majority of the slide moved as a whole and reached the opposite side of the valley without any change in shape apart from a general rotation evident from both the surface morphology and the stratigraphic sequence that remained essentially unchanged after the movement. The doubly curved, 265.5 m-high arch dam resisted the forces imposed by the 1963 landslide and suffered only minor damages. In the whole Vajont Valley the landslides, and the geological bodies, can be viewed as elements of the Memory, representing of the Geological Heritage Memory of Earth. The Vajont landslide was, in 2023, included among the top 100 geological sites of global interest by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) as it "represents one of the most emblematic and best researched large landslide worldwide known for its peculiar dynamics and catastrophic effect".
The Vajont landslide has a very rich scientific literature. Still today some authors deny the existence of the paleo-landslide while others try to construct an evolutionary geological model of one of the most complex and destructive landslides that have ever occurred. Despite all these studies, some key aspects for its understanding are still not completely clarified.
This fieldwork is aimed at providing a general overview of the Vajont Valley geology, stratigraphy, tectonics and geomorphology, their relationships in the conditioning the 1963 landslide and, illustrate the different and controversial hypotheses which still today are present in the scientific literature.
Programme
8:00 am – Departure from the Department of Geosciences (Via G. Gradenigo, 6 Padova)
- Stop 1 - Casso: sight of the Vajont landslide and overview to the other landslides of the valley
- Stop 2 - Vajont Dam and walk on the landslide
18:30 pm – Return to Padova
Further information
Hiking clothes and shoes are mandatory and tick repellents are suggested. Early September can still be very hot and sunny, therefore caps, sunglasses and sunscreen are strongly recommended. Costs cover bus transfer, lunchbox, dam entrance fee.
Field trip contact: monica.ghirotti@unife.it