Erdpyramide in Tirol – Tirolo, Italy - Atlas Obscura

Erdpyramide in Tirol

Tirolo, Italy

These unique "earth pyramid" clay columns can be found in ravines around the village of Tirolo.  

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Erdpyramide, or “ea0rth pyramids” are formed by landslides and storms over several thousand years. The prerequisites for their formation are fine-grained subsoil, rain, a wind-protected location, and the presence of larger stones or boulders. The rainwater cuts deep furrows in the slope. The stones or boulders protect the underlying material. As a result, this material erodes much more slowly than unprotected material. In the course of several thousand years, high towers then formed in this Italian village.

In Dorf Tirol, the conspicuous columns can be found in the gorge at the Mutbach near Schloss Tirol and in the Fineletal near Kuens. The earth pyramids in the Fineletal are best seen on a hike from Dorf Tirol to Kuens. The earth pyramids can also be viewed from above while riding the Hochmuther cable car near Castle Tyrol, during a hike along the Herrschaftsweg, or on the path from Castle Tyrol to the Farmer’s Cross.

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February 6, 2023

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