Sign up for free

Newsletters

Once a month
get new photos
and expert tips.

Science and Space
Main Health and Human Body Earth Space Prehistoric World A-Z

The Dolomites

The rock that makes up the Sella Massif in northern Italy's Dolomites mountain range was once the floor of a shallow, tropical sea. This Triassic-era sea was home to massive coral reefs that built up over millions of years. More recently, glacial erosion carved the Dolomites into their dramatic crags and exposed the reefs and fossils that lay beneath.

Photograph by O. Alamany & E. Vicens/CORBIS