The pre-Variscan sequence of the Carnic Alps (Italy-Austria)

The pre-Variscan sequence of the Carnic Alps is exposed across the state border between north-east Italy and Austria. It includes Middle Ordovician to Lower Pennsylvanian rocks that, although affected by both Variscan and Alpine orogeny, preserve continuous and non-metamorphosed successions. Depositional settings vary from shallow water to open marine environments. Remarkable is the presence of the largest Devonian reefs of Europe, and related deposits from back reef to fore-reef and basin. The field trip is organised as a pre-congress excursion of the 90th congress of the Italian Geological Society (Trieste, September 2021) and includes three days to visit the main localities of the central sector of the Carnic Alps, focusing on various aspects of stratigraphy, palaeontology and tectonics of the sequence.