Sulcis Mountains

Together with the Monte Linas massif, from which they are separated by the flood plain of the Cixerri River, they form the Sulcis-Iglesiente Mountains, one of the most ancient geological formations in the island.

The geology of the Sulcis Mountains is rather complex, due to their very ancient origin, dating to more than 600 million years ago, before the Cambrian period.

Most of the chain’s surviving geological record consists of magmatic intrusions and metamorphic rocks whose protoliths were deposited prior to the Variscan orogeny and are now exposed at the surface after millions of years of erosion and unroofing.

Post-Variscan erosion and tectonic uplift during Cenozoic time led to the unroofing and exposure of magmatic leucogranites and metamorphic schists, which has ultimately resulted in the eastern sector being more geologically heterogeneous.

The plateau-like formations found at the feet of the chain have a dual origin: those on the western side are more ancient, consisting of flood deposits and, partly, lavas from the Cenozoic, while those on the eastern and south-eastern sides consist of small flood deposits from the Quaternary.