# Soil Trail as a Tool to Promote Cultural and Geoheritage:
## 2 Materials and Methods  
### Study Area  
The study area is located between Mt. Cusna (2120 m a.s.l. ), Mt. Bagioletto (1750 m a.s.l. ), and the locality called Prati di Sara (1630 m a.s.l. ), in the territory of Villa Minozzo (Emilia Romagna Region) (Figure 1). Since 2001, Mt. Cusna is included in the \"Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Tosco-Emiliano\" (Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park) and, since 1999, the area has been designed by the European project \"Natura2000\" as a \"Site of Community Importance\" in order to prevent it from the loss of its biodiversity. Following Mt. Cimone (2165 m a.s.l. ), Mt. Cusna is the second highest peak of the Northern Apennines ridge. Climate of the area is sub-Mediterranean with abundant and well-distributed precipitation (2000 mm/y), with a summer minimum and a mean annual temperature range from 8.8 \({}^{\circ}\)C (Ligonchio, 928 m a.s.l.) to 2.2 \({}^{\circ}\)C (Mt. Cimone, 2165 m a.s.l. ; observation period for both weather stations 1961-1990) [26]. The study area is located between 1240 and 1763 m a.s.l. ; therefore, it should be considered virtually below the current treeline position (1750 m a.s.l. [26]). Vegetation is characterized by an open deciduous forest dominated by beech (_Fagus sylvatica_) with sparse shrubs and grassland species, mainly _Vaccinium myrtillus_, _Juniperus nana_, Thymus sp., and _Laburnum alpinn_[27]. Above the treeline, areas  
Figure 1: Study area location. The soil trail (yellow line) and the nine stops (yellow dots) plotted on the hillshade derived from the digital elevation model (5 m resolution; Emilia Romagna region) and the topographic database (1:25,000; Emilia Romagna region). are defined by _Vaccinium myrtillus_ with _Nardus stricta_ and _Brachypodium genuese_ composed of heatlands and acid pastures [28]. The bedrock consists mainly of turbidic sandstones (locally marlstones) with intercalated sequences of claystones and siltstones [29; 30]. The area is characterized by combined geological, geomorphological, and stratigraphic peculiarities; therefore, since 2006, the Emilia Romagna region has designed the NE slope of Mt. Cusna to the extent of the locality called \"Le Presse\" as a regional geosite ([[http://sgi.isrmbiente.it/GeositiWeb/scheda_geosito.aspx?id_geosito_x=3013](http://sgi.isrmbiente.it/GeositiWeb/scheda_geosito.aspx?id_geosito_x=3013)]([http://sgi.isrmbiente.it/GeositiWeb/scheda_geosito.aspx?id_geosito_x=3013](http://sgi.isrmbiente.it/GeositiWeb/scheda_geosito.aspx?id_geosito_x=3013)); [[https://geo.regione.emilia-romagna.it/schede/geositi/scheda.jsp?id=451](https://geo.regione.emilia-romagna.it/schede/geositi/scheda.jsp?id=451)]([https://geo.regione.emilia-romagna.it/schede/geositi/scheda.jsp?id=451](https://geo.regione.emilia-romagna.it/schede/geositi/scheda.jsp?id=451)), accessed on 15 April 2023). It was established by recognizing the geomorphological and, above all, geological peculiarities of the area: an outcrop of Monte Modino sandstone superimposed on clayey and marl units derived from the Apennine orogenic phenomenon, which began in the Late Cretaceous. In particular, the overlap of Mt. Modino sandstone with intercalated mudstones, claystones, and marls determines a peculiar reverse anticline testifying past depositional systems, subsequently shaped by tectonic movements that had generated the present structure of the ridge into folds and thrusts [31]. Moreover, the area became a geosite due to the long-lasting scientific research in the area, and in relation to the evidence of glacial circles, revealing the past presence of perennial glaciers, and the active deep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DSGSD), which testify the more recent geomorphological processes affecting the area. On the other hand, although possessing remarkable pedofeatures and characteristics, the soils of Mt.