Seiser Alm
{{Short description|Dolomite plateau and Alpine meadow in Italy}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox valley
| name = Seiser Alm
| other_name = Alpe di Siusi
| native_name =
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| translation =
| photo = Saslonch udu da Mont de Seuc.jpg
| photo_caption = Seiser Alm with the mountains of Langkofel Group in the background
| map = Alps#Italy_Trentino-South_Tyrol
| map_image =
| map_caption = Location of Seiser Alm in Northern Italy
| location =
| country = Italy
| region = Trentino-Alto Adige
| state =
| district =
| city = Bolzano
| relief = Alpine
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| coordinates = {{coord|46|32|28|N|11|38|40.99|E|type:mountain|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
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| elevation =
| elevation_m = 1700
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| area =
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| area_km2 = 52
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{{lang|de|Seiser Alm}} ({{langx|it|Alpe di Siusi}}, {{langx|lld|Mont Sëuc}}) is a Dolomite plateau and the largest high-elevation Alpine meadow ({{langx|de|Alm}}) in Europe. Located in Italy's South Tyrol province in the Dolomites mountain range, it is a major tourist attraction, notably for skiing and hiking.
==Geography==
It is located in the western part of the Dolomites and has an elevation between {{convert|1680|m|sp=us}} and {{convert|2350|m|sp=us}}; it extends for {{convert|52|km2|sp=us}} between Val Gardena to the north, the Sassolungo Group to the northeast, and the Sciliar massif to the southeast, which with its unmistakable profile is one of the best-known symbols of all the Dolomites.
Given the vastness of the area, from here it is possible to admire a large number of mountain groups: among others, the Sella Group, the Rosengarten group, and the Marmolada.
It is the largest mountain pasture in Europe. It is divided into numerous plots reserved to grazing or from which farmers obtain hay for their farms at lower elevations.
The eastern part has been included in Sciliar Natural Park since 1975.
= Surrounding peaks =
The pasture offers a panoramic view that includes (from north, in a clockwise direction): Peitlerkofel (Sass de Putia, {{convert|1873|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}), the Odle and the Puez groups ({{convert|3025|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}), the Gran Cir, the Sella group ({{convert|3152|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}), Langkofel (Sassolungo, {{convert|3181|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}) and Plattkofel (Sassopiatto, {{convert|2995|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}), the Marmolada ({{convert|3343|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}), the Pala group (Pale di San Martino, {{convert|3192|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}), the Vajolet Towers ({{convert|2821|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}) the Rosengarten group (Catinaccio, {{convert|2981|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}) with the peak of the Kesselkogel (Catinaccio d'Antermoia, {{convert|3002|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}) and the Schlern (Sciliar, {{convert|2450|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sp=us}}).{{Wide image|AlpediSiusi panorama2.JPG|1400px|On the left, the Roterdspitze (Cima di Terrarossa) and the Schlern (Schiliar), in the middle the Seiser Alm with the Puflatsch (Bullaccia) and the Pizberg (Piz), on the right the Langkofel (Sassolungo), largely hidden by the Plattkofel (Sassopiatto).}}
Climate
{{Weather box
|location = Seiser Alm (2013−2022 normals, extremes 2013−present): {{convert|2051|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 9.6
|Feb record high C = 10.1
|Mar record high C = 10.8
|Apr record high C = 13.9
|May record high C = 19.9
|Jun record high C = 25.8
|Jul record high C = 24.0
|Aug record high C = 24.7
|Sep record high C = 19.6
|Oct record high C = 17.1
|Nov record high C = 15.1
|Dec record high C = 11.3
|year record high C =
|Jan high C = -1.3
|Feb high C = 0.2
|Mar high C = 2.1
|Apr high C = 5.3
|May high C = 9.2
|Jun high C = 15.1
|Jul high C = 17.1
|Aug high C = 16.3
|Sep high C = 12.2
|Oct high C = 8.6
|Nov high C = 3.6
|Dec high C = 0.7
|year high C =
|Jan mean C = -4.5
|Feb mean C = -3.3
|Mar mean C = -1.7
|Apr mean C = 1.7
|May mean C = 5.4
|Jun mean C = 10.9
|Jul mean C = 12.8
|Aug mean C = 12.2
|Sep mean C = 8.5
|Oct mean C = 5.2
|Nov mean C = 0.9
|Dec mean C = -2.2
|year mean C =
|Jan low C = -7.6
|Feb low C = -6.8
|Mar low C = -5.4
|Apr low C = -2.0
|May low C = 1.7
|Jun low C = 6.7
|Jul low C = 8.4
|Aug low C = 8.2
|Sep low C = 4.8
|Oct low C = 1.8
|Nov low C = -1.9
|Dec low C = -5.2
|year low C =
|Jan record low C = -19.1
|Feb record low C = -21.9
|Mar record low C = -16.5
|Apr record low C = -14.0
|May record low C = -9.3
|Jun record low C = 0.0
|Jul record low C = 0.8
|Aug record low C = -0.2
|Sep record low C = -3.5
|Oct record low C = -7.0
|Nov record low C = -13.3
|Dec record low C = -15.8
|year record low C =
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 22.6
|Feb precipitation mm = 30.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 33.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 69.3
|May precipitation mm = 133.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 135.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 198.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 186.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 99.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 99.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 88.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 31.0
|year precipitation mm =
|source 1 = Landeswetterdienst Südtirol
{{cite web
| url = https://www.provinz.bz.it/wetter/download/74200MS-Seiser%20Alm%20-%20Zallinger-Alpe%20di%20Siusi%20-%20Zallinger-multiannual-LT-monthly-temperature.pdf
| title = Monatswerte Temperaturen 2013-2022
| publisher = Landeswetterdienst Südtirol
| language = de
| access-date = August 6, 2024}}
{{cite web
| url = https://www.provinz.bz.it/wetter/download/74200MS-Seiser%20Alm%20-%20Zallinger-Alpe%20di%20Siusi%20-%20Zallinger-multiannual-N-monthly-precipitation.pdf
| title = Monatswerte Niederschläge 2013-2022
| publisher = Landeswetterdienst Südtirol
| language = de
| access-date = August 6, 2024}}
}}
History
The area was once a primeval forest used for hunting by Middle Stone Age people. In the Bronze Age, people began to use the forest as grazing land for cattle. A Roman mule path leads up to the plateau from Siusi.
Classification
The SOIUSA system considers the plateau as an alpine group with the following classification:
- Main part: Eastern Alps
- Major sector: South-Eastern Alps
- Section: Dolomites
- Subsection: North-Western Dolomites
- Supergroup: Gardena's Dolomites
- Group: Seiser Alp Group
- Code: II/C-31. III-A.3
It also attributes to the plateau the three following subgroups:
- Subgroup A: Palancia-Cresta di Siusi ridge
- Subgroup B: Dorsal Denti di Terra Rossa-Punta d'Oro-Piz ridge
- Subgroup C: Dorsal Bulacia-Salames-Col di Rende ridge
File:Saslonch y Sela da Mont de Seuc d'inviern.jpg|Langkofel Group (Italian: Gruppo del Sassolongo) seen from Seiser Alm during winter.
File:Dark and gloomy atmosphere at Alpe di Siusi in italian Dolomites.jpg|View from the plateau
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite journal |last1=Alberti |first1=Alberto |year=1975 |title=Sodium-rich dachiardite from Alpe di Siusi, Italy |journal=Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=63–6 |bibcode=1975CoMP...49...63A |doi=10.1007/BF00371079|s2cid=94886754 }}
- {{cite journal |first1=Lorenz |last1=Keim |year=2008 |title=Geologie im Gebiet Schlern-Seiser Alm: vom Tethysmeer zum Gebirge |trans-title=Geology in the Schleern-Seiser Alm area: from the Tethyan Sea to mountain building |language=German |journal=Gredleriana |volume=8 |pages=25–46 |url=http://www.naturmuseum.it/scriptsredas/includes/reso/publ_getreso.asp?pres_ID=214028 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626034531/http://www.naturmuseum.it/scriptsredas/includes/reso/publ_getreso.asp?pres_ID=214028 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-06-26 }}
External links
{{commonscat-inline|Seiser Alm}}
{{Authority control}}
{{morecat|date=May 2021}}