Download The Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona offers a unique view into the

The Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona offers a unique view into
the formation of alpine mountains and valleys.
Here, the collision of Africa and Europe caused the Alps to
tower up over millions of years. Ancient rock layers folded,
fractured and were thrust on top of each other. A rich variety
of evidence and traces of this enormous force are remarkably
visible in the World Heritage Sardona.
Located at the border areas of the cantons
of St. Gallen, Glarus and Graubünden, the
World Heritage Sardona is of extraordinary
educational and scientific value and
expands to nearly 330 sq km (124 sq
miles).
During the collision of the African
and European plates, geological
processes gave way to the Alps. In
the World Heritage Sardona, the
legacy of such processes is clearly
visible on the earth’s surface. The
uplift and simultaneous erosion of
the Alps led to the appearance of
folds, faults and thrust planes at the
current surface.
Studying such structures allows
reconstructing past rock movements
and deformations which took place millions of years ago.
What is Tectonics?
Tectonics is a specialized field within
geology. It concerns the study of the
structures of the earth's crust and
upper mantle and the large scale
movements which created these
structures.
The overthrusting of rock masses onto
one another is an important process in
mountain formation and is beautifully
visible in the World Heritage Sardona.
Older rocks on top of younger rocks how come?
Over the course of millions of years, a
large variety of rocks was deposited in
valleys, seas and lakes on the earth's
surface. In most places, younger rocks
lie atop older rocks.
But in the World Heritage Sardona, the
rock layers are "upside down". The
Glarus Overthrust, visible from a
distance along a prominent line, is where Verrucano-rocks (250-300 million years old)
were pushed upon younger, 35-50 million years old Flysch-rocks during the formation of
the Alps. The intermediary rock called “Lochsiten calc-tectonite” might have functioned
as a lubricant. In this way, the older rocks come to lay on the younger ones.
Significance for education and
science
For more than two centuries,
scientists from around the world have
studied the geologic structures and
processes of mountain formation. At
the east and southern flanks of the
Foostock the Glarus Overthrust is
beautifully exposed and very well
recognisable. Here, scientists have
formed diverse opinions and
controversial interpretations of this
area's rock formations, which led to fundamental findings concerning the emergence of
mountain ranges on earth. Even today, many geologists follow renowned scientists and
come to the region to study the phenomena of mountain formation evident at this site.
Piz Sardona
The World Heritage is named after the
mountain Piz Sardona, located at the
border areas of the three Swiss
cantons of St. Gallen, Glarus and
Graubünden. A clear, razor-sharp line
slicing across the mountain faces
catches the attentive observer's eye.
Diversity of the World Heritage
Sardona
The earth's natural surface evolved
through the interplay of crustal uplift
and erosion. The consequent
loosening of the rocks, the prevailing
climate, the glaciers of the ice ages
as well as water, wind and weather
created the currently visible varied
terrain. All these processes still occur
today as the collision of these
tectonic plates continues, but due to
ongoing erosion, the mountains are currently not getting any higher.
Exploring the World Heritage's
diversity
The World Heritage Sardona offers an
untouched landscape with a high
density of protection worthy witnesses
of the earth’s history such as
geotopes, a variety of alpine plants
and animals, as well as raised bogs
and alluvial zones of national
importance.
UNESCO World Heritage
"Some things are so valuable that all of humanity should watch over them"
The Swiss Tectonic Area Sardona was established in July 2008 by the
UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The United Nations recognizes that
the area is invaluable to human understanding, and we have an
obligation to preserve it for future generations. Thirteen participating
World Heritage townships as well as the federal government and the
cantons of Graubünden, St. Gallen and Glarus have agreed to
contribute to long-term conservation of the site.
Visitor Center Glarnerland
The Visitor Center Glarnerland offers
an attracting way to explore
fascinating geological knowledge on
the World Heritage Swiss Tectonic
Arena Sardona.
In the capital of canton Glarus a
sculpture allows interactive insights
into the World. In the mountainous
town of Elm an exhibition offers
detailed insights into the geological
history of the World Heritage Sardona
presented along the current
knowledge of mountain building processes. The Visitor Center also presents ideas to
further explore the region.
Start your journey to the World Heritage Sardona in the Visitor Center Glarnerland, the
ideal starting point for tours & excursions, for example with a local GeoGuide Sardona.
For further information concerning the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, see: www.unesco-sardona.ch