Sheepback Rocks

The Monte Ceneri Pass is situated between two bastions: the Tamaro (1,967 m a.s.l.) and the Camoghè (2,232 m a.s.l.). The rocks making up the Tamaro and the Camoghè are the same, continuing on from one another. This tells us that they are the remnants of an ancient chain that once linked them but has since been eroded by the action of glaciers and rivers.

The Monte Ceneri parade ground incorporates some particularly interesting sheepback rocks, formed by the abrasive action of glaciers. This rock type is considered to be of national significance. The rocks are 200 metres from the entrance to the ground, on the right-hand side of the road. They are made up of Ceneri gneiss, which forms part of the alpine bedrock of the southern Alps. They are considered some of the oldest rocks in Switzerland, estimated to be more than 2.3 billion years old.