The Fossils of Monte Generoso

The rocks of Monte Generoso are constituted of flinty limestone, a sedimentary rock that originated from the depths of the sea, 200 million years ago. It is formed by the shells of molluscs and the skeletons of dead marine vertebrates. The deposits here reached a considerable thickness. Not all the animals were turned into fossils. The majority rotted without leaving any trace.
The formation of a fossil, therefore, is a major event that takes place only when the animal is quickly buried and removed from any contact with the air.
Thus, the fossils are documents that reveal the story of Monte Generoso.

Examples of fossils from Monte Generosoo

Ammonite
There exist a large number of species of ammonites.
Ammonites are cephalopoda molluscs that lived 180 million years ago and were extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.

Belemnite (Belemnites bipatitus Blainville)
Rostrum of a belemnite that constitutes the internal skeleton. The belemnites are molluscs similar to cuttlefish and the present day calamari, appeared during the course of the Mesozoic period and were extinguished towards the end of the Cretaceous period.

Brachiopod
180 million years ago.
Section: note the asymmetry of the two half shells and the peduncle for fixing itself to the substrate.

Spirifer-type Brachiopods
Prevalent in the limestone of the Baraghetto and at the Monte Generoso’s summit.

Crinoids
Section of a peduncle of a crinoid.
Group of invertebrates that lived on the sea floor of Mesozoic seas, 180 million years ago.

Foraminifera
There exist an infinite variety of types. The foraminifera are marine protozoa,
microscopic single cell organisms, most of which still live today on the sea floor.

Radiolarians
Radiolarians are marine protozoa that have elegant siliceous skeletons.
Every organism has a specific relationship with its environment.