The Tiberius Gorges Unesco Geopark Site
The Gorges of Tiberio are in the Pollina river at 80 m. above sea level between the municipalities of San Mauro Castelverde and Castelbuono in the Madonie Park .
Historical Outlines
The name of the Gorges derives from Tiberio, a hamlet that belongs to the village of San Mauro. In the past this hamlet, of noble origins, was inhabited by about a hundred people while today it is almost uninhabited. On the whole the gorges are about 450 m and they can be divided into three zones.
The Route
The first part, about 100 m. , is very impressive to the eye of the visitor just arrived in the bed of the river. It is full of caves and you can travel along it by foot. The central part is the most fascinating and charming. It is about 250 m. long and even more than 50 m. high and you can cross it only by rubber dinghies because the water depth exceeds 8 m. even in summer. In the middle of the path there is a large rock which in the past was used as a secret passage. Finally, the last part, about 100 m. long, looks like an enchanted lake, a kind of primordial paradise.
The Geosite
The Gorges of Tiberio constitute a geological site of the Madonie Park (classified as G4 in the geological Guide) of geomorphological and natural relevant interest . The limestone rocks formed in the Triassic more than 200 million years ago, while the lifting of the rocks and the subsequent formation of the Gorges occurred since the Miocene, about 23 million years ago. The geological site consists of a fluvial- karst gorge carved by the Pollina river in the limestone rocks while along the walls morphologies are visible due to the fluvial flow and the water corrosion.