Ardito Desio

Count Ardito Desio (April 18, 1897 – December 12, 2001) was an Italian explorer, mountain climber, geologist, and cartographer.

Biography

Ardito Desio was born April 18th 1897 in Palmanova (Udine). He attended the Middle Schools of Udine and Cividale and the University of Florence (1916-1920), and was graduated the following year in Natural Sciences (Geology). He made advanced studies in Geology at the same University (1921-1923). He was assistant in Geology at the Universities of Florence (1921-1923), Pavia (1923-1924) and Milan (1924-1927). Lecturer in Physical Geography, Geology and Paleontology (1928-1931) then professor of Geology at the University of Milan, and Applied Geology at the Engineering School of Milan (1932-1972), concurrently serving as a consultant geologist for the Edison Company for hydroelectric plants in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey and Brazil, and the same capacity for the Public Power Corporation of Greece. In 1973 he became Professor Emeritus in the University of Milan.

He began geological investigations in some areas of the Alps and Apennines on 1920. And since 1921 he made also some explorative trips in the Dodecaneso islands of the Aegean Sea and Asia Minor. The Italian Geological Survey published a volume on the geology of that archipelago.

During the summer and autumn 1926 he organized and led a geographical and geological expedition to the Oasis of Giarabub (Al-Jaghbub) in the Libyan Desert sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society of Italy. The scientific results of these investigations are exposed in 4 volumes published by the same Society.In 1929 he was a member of the Italian Geographical Expedition to the Karakorum under the leadership of the Duke of Spoleto in his capacity of geographer and geologist. On this occasion he covered Kashmir and Baltistan in Northern India, and developed his scientific activity in the valleys of Baltoro and Panmah glaciers on the south slope of the range, and in the Sarpo Laggo and Shaksgam valleys, between the Karakorum and the Aghil ranges, the Abruzzi valley climbing, for the first time, the Conway Pass. The results of this expedition arc contained in a volume, which was published under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society and the Italian Alpine Club IN 1936.

From 1930 to 1933 he led some geological and geographical expeditions through the hinterland of Libya. The most interesting, sponsored by the Italian National Academy, was the crossing of the Sahara desert with a great caravan of camels from the Mediterranean seabord as far as the frontier of Sudan and back through the Fezzan, across the Libyan Sahara (summer 1931). The report of this expedition was published in 4 volumes.

During the summer of 1933 he led an expedition to the highest mountains of Iran climbing some high peaks of the Zagros Range and the Demavand (5771 m) the highest peak of Iran, through a new way. He published some scientific reports on this trip.

In 1935 and 1936 he explored the Fezzan from both the geological and hydrological point of view, and overflows for the first time, with the Governor of Libya Italo Balbo, the Tibesti massif, in the heart of the Sahara. From 1936 to 1940 he organized and directed the Libyan Geological Survey as well as the mining and artesian waters researches by appointment of the Government of Libya. During that time Desio discovered in 1938 the first occurrences of natural oil in the subsurface of Libya and carried out a wide program of investigations, which opened the way to the future great discoveries. Unfortunately the advent of the Second World War interrupted any kind of mining activity in Libya. In the same years he discovered also an exploitable deposit of K an Mg salt (carnallite) in the Oasis of Marada, and rich artesian aquifers in some zones of Northern Libya, which gave a strong impulse to the development of the agricul¬ture. There are still some plains and villages in Tripolitania where the agriculture is prosperous thanks the irrigation alimented by such artesian waters.

During the winters of 1937 and 1938, Dcsio explored Wallega and Beni Shangul in Eastern Ethiopia, both from the point of view of the geology and mining, discovering some new deposits of gold and molybdenite.

In 1940 he organized and directed an expedition to Tibesti (Central Sahara) by motorcars and aircraft. The scientific reports were published in a volume by the Royal Geographical Society of Italy.

In the same year he organized and directed a mining exploration in Northern Albania.

From 1952 to 1955, he led 3 expeditions to the Karakorum Range and Hindu Kush. The first was a preliminary expedition; the second, the main expedition for the first ascent of K2 (8611 m), second highest peak in the world; the third, for geological, geophysical and ethno¬graphical researches. The results of the studies carried out during these expeditions have been published in many papers and more largely developed in 8 volumes of scientific character.

During the summer of 1961, he led an expedition to Badakhshan and Katagan (North¬eastern Afghanistan) with a geological and geophysical program, and in the summer of 1962 he led another expedition to the Karakorum Range, exploring geologically the upper Hunza valley and the Chogo Lumba, the Basha and the Hoh Lumba glacier valleys.

During the same year, thanks to an invitation of the U.S.A. National Science Foundation, he visited Antarctica, particularly the stations of Me Murdo, Byrd and Amundsen-Scott at the South Pole, and the Wright valley, one of the Dry Valleys (Victoria Land).

In 1967 and 1968 he carried out geohydrological investigations in the Mu River basin (Central Burma) for one O.N.U. irrigation project, while in the 1970 developed a geological study in the Mindanao Island (Philippines).

Desio in northern Pakistan carried out three other geological expeditions during the summers of 1971 (Middle Indus Valley), 1973 (Gilgit-Skardu) and 1975 (Punjab and Gilgit).

By invitation of Academia Sinica, in June 1980, after a scientific symposium in Peking, he crossed the Southern Tibet under the leadership of Chinese scientists.In 1989 he has planned, organized and realized a permanent high altitude scientific laboratory-observatory in a prefabricated glass and aluminum pyramid shaped structure, which was installed at an altitude of 5050 m at the base of Mount Everest. The aim was to grant multidisciplinary scientific investigations at high quote. The “Pyramid” still exists and the laboratory still works.In the civil service he was for seven years President of the Geological Committee of Italy, of the Geological Society and is honorary President of the Paleontology’s Society, of the Na¬tional Association of Italian Geologists. He was the first president of the Italian Order of Geo¬logists.

He was a member of the Italian National Academy of Lincei and other Italian Academics.

He was awarded the Laurea ad honorem in Geological Sciences by the University of Urbino in 1985.

He was Cavaliere di Gran Croce of the Ordine della Repubblica Italiana.He was honorary member of the Italian Geographical Society, Italian Society for the Prog¬ress of Science, English Geological Society, German Gesellschaft fur Erdkunde, Société Belge de Geologic, Indian Paleontological Society and hon. member of the Faculty of Sciences, Univer¬sity of Chile. He was awarded the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, the Gold medal of Pakistan, the Gold medal of the deserving Order of Merit in the Education, Culture and Arts of Italy, the Antarctic Service Medal (U.S.A.).

He produced more than 400 scientific publications.

He spent his last four years in Rome near his daughter were he passed away on 12th December 2001. He is buried in Palmanova, his native town.