Sasso Cavallaccio
One of the most important and most unusual erratics in the Varese area, typical of a geological phenomenon particularly noticeable in the district.
Sasso Cavallaccio is at Ranco, and its name - "equestrian stone" - is due to the fact that its exposed part has a shape resembling a horse's head.
This megalith, like many others to be found in our province, was produced by an important geological phenomenon that began about 60,000 years ago. During a series of glaciations, detritus from the glaciers in the Sempione and Gotthard mountains was carried down into the valleys, in what could be compared to a sort of gigantic landslide. The detritus included huge pieces of rock - erratics - such as this example.
This megalith is in roughly cubic form, in serpentine granite, and its total volume has never been exactly calculated because its lower part is hidden in the soil. It seems to be sloping, and this leads one to imagine that the hidden part is not at all negligible in volume.
Sasso Cavallaccio is at Ranco, and its name - "equestrian stone" - is due to the fact that its exposed part has a shape resembling a horse's head.
This megalith, like many others to be found in our province, was produced by an important geological phenomenon that began about 60,000 years ago. During a series of glaciations, detritus from the glaciers in the Sempione and Gotthard mountains was carried down into the valleys, in what could be compared to a sort of gigantic landslide. The detritus included huge pieces of rock - erratics - such as this example.
This megalith is in roughly cubic form, in serpentine granite, and its total volume has never been exactly calculated because its lower part is hidden in the soil. It seems to be sloping, and this leads one to imagine that the hidden part is not at all negligible in volume.
