Discovering the unique geology of the Bergell Alps / Знакомство с уникальной геологией Бергельских Альп

The Bergell Alps offer not only a magnificent landscape with impressive mountains that attract many tourists, but also they document a unique geological history, first explored by Bernhard Studer (1851) and since then studied and documented in many publications. In this book, we try to connect visitors with scientific curiosity with remarkable geological features observed in the Bergell Alps, such as a young granite that intrudes into an older stack of nappes (thrust sheets) that represent the European continental plate at the base overthrust by the African plate, causing gradients in temperature and pressure that can be explored by looking at outcrops of rocks in the field. 
While there are several books introducing the geology of northwestern America to a broad public with observations in the field, there are few in Europe, though with equally fascinating geological features. We admired this approach in the book of Glazner and Stock (2010): Geology Underfoot in Yosemite National Park. Their book is not just meant for geologists, but also for readers with curiosity in physical and environmental sciences who love to connect with the outdoor world and would like to learn how our landscape evolved. We dedicate the book to Konrad Springer (1925–1997) who in his career as publisher not only tried to advance science but also to connect laymen and experts through books and journals. He had a background in biology and became attracted to Bergell geology on several excursions with Rudy Wenk (Fig. 1). The Springer GeoGuide series looks like an excellent place to advance this connection. We started with a first brief guide many years ago (Wenk 1985), and this book is a much more coherent and comprehensive expansion <...>