It is a fissure cave with tectonic origin that opens near the pleasant Maletto village, above Carema, on the left side of the lower Aosta Valley. The zone is very tectonically tormented and it's easy to find fissures with length of few metres. In this fissure cave, in 1994 the author discovered a new species belonging to the genus Archeoboldoria, described by Giachino & Vailati in 1997 as A. lanai. This has been another confirmation that the Mombarone was a refuge massif during the glaciations that interested remarkably the Aosta Valley. To go down in this fissure cave is very fatiguing and the narrow well with smooth walls and a curve in the middle, make difficult the going up again. At the basis of the intermediate little jump about 3 m deep, there is a slope formed by stones fallen from the walls; among these stones it's possible find the rare Leptodirinae. The author captured here also some specimens of Opiliones belonging to the genus Ischyropsalis, probably similar to the species of the cave "La Custreta", several Diplopoda Craspedosomatidae, specimens of Alpioniscus cfr. feneriensis, Chilopoda Lithobiidae and Araneae Linyphiidae. Moreover some specimens of a Oxychilus, very interesting Mollusca Gastropoda and numerous Sphodropsis ghilianii.

At the beginning the author thought to have visited the nearby Maletto Cave, which entrance has been close during works of excavation for the construction of a new carriageable road, also if, during a subsequent survey, we verify that this cave is accessible trought a secondary entrance using speleological equipments. The fauna of the Maletto Cave is probably similar to that one of the Salè Cave that is only some hundred of metres away from the first cave.

Grotta del Maletto (1595 Pi/TO)
(Maletto Cave)

TECHNICAL CARD

Commune:	Carema, Passore	Valley:		Aosta
Mons:	Mombarone	Map I.G.M.:		42 I NE Lillianes
Coordinates:	long.: 4° 36' 46" lat.: 45° 35' 27"	Quota:		ca. 1400 m a.s.l.
Length:	60 m	Difference in level:		-33 m
Lithotype:	Micaschists of the Sesia-Lanzo series		Topography

SPECIFIC BIBLIOGRAPHY		BIOSPELEOLOGICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY		GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

Return to the page "Caves"			Systematic Index			Initial page HOME

  Some embellishments, Javascript, etc. have been modified from them situated on the site
"A SBAFO! All for the WEB gratis and in Italian... "; the author advise you to visit it.
 

BABEL ALTA VISTA - ON LINE TRANSLATOR