The earth pyramids of Ritten (German: ''Erdpyramiden am Ritten''; it, Piramidi di terra del Renon ) are a natural monument that is located on the Ritten, a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

not far from

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

in northern Italy. Earth pyramids are a fairly widespread phenomenon that exist in various locations, such as

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

and Platten. The original name in this area for these earth pyramids is ''Lahntürme'', i.e., landslide towers.Cfr. Paul Stacul, ''Die erste Erwähnung der Südtiroler Erdpyramiden'' (''The first mention of the South Tyrolean earth pyramides''), in " Der Schlern", 51, 1977, pp. 675-678. They originate from glacial

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

rocks. The columns of the pyramids may be more or less elongated, and the higher they are, the thinner they get, ending usually with a stone cover. These earth pyramids are constantly evolving, continuously eroding, and will possibly collapse and make way for new formations. File:Rittner Erdpyramiden 02 (HS).jpg, As seen from the west with Nicholas chapel and Dolomites File:Ritten (61).JPG, Pyramids in Autumn, as seen from Nicholas chapel File:RittenLehmpyramiden.jpg, View of the Pyramids of the Ritten towards Mittelberg

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Further reading