Association promoting the research and the spread of cultural, scientific and geo-speleological contents.

The archaeological geo-speleological site "Sa Marchesa" is located in the municipality of Nuxis, in the locality of Acquacadda, and it is managed by the cultural association Speleo Club Nuxis that includes:

 

1. THE GEOLOGICAL-SPELEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

In the buildings of the former "Sa Marchesa" mine, managed with an agreement between the Municipality of Nuxis and the Speleo Club Nuxis cultural association, the setting up of the geo- speleological museum has been arranged with tools and utensils used for studies and research in earth sciences and specifically in the geological sector, such as coring, drilling, geophysical prospecting and so on. Is present also an amazing collection of both Sardinian and non-Island minerals and fossils: samples of cores of local rocks, rock cylinders obtained from geognostic drilling, partially polished which represent the geo-lithological outcrops of lower Sulcis exposed both on wooden shelves with special lighting. As far as the speleo-archaeological sector is concerned, faithful copies of vases found in hypogean environments, mainly in caves, have been reconstructed, also exhibited in suitable display cases that allow us to document, even if partially, the main prehistoric cultures ranging from the Ancient Neolithic to the Iron Age, accompanied by descriptions. In the same room was created  an educational panel concerning the human evolutionary history with the display of numerous reproductions of hominid craniums specially selected to retrace the main stages of the human "evolutionary blush”. For the speleological sector a small room has been set up in which are shown the tools used by the speleologists during their work: 6 the descender, the handle, the collapse, the carabiners and so on. In other compartments, on special display cases, there are objects used for speleological explorations, topographic surveys, sector studies and so on. To better represent and illustrate both the archaeological, mining and speleological environments, several panels have been printed.

 

2. THE CAVE OF ACQUACADDA “SU MONTIXEDDU”

To improve the enhancement and the quality of the visit to the cave, lighting has been arranged using maxi mobile illuminators in order to make the main speleothems visible without altering theunderground environment. The visit is also enhanced by thepresence of small display panels in which are described the speleothems and the geological and geomorphological formations present inside the cavity.  Inside it you can observe geological and geomorphological singularities, including a very important conglomerate that determines the passage between two geological formations: the Paleozoic Era, precisely to the lower Cambrian (Gonnesa Formation) and the middle Cambrian (Campo Pisano Formation) in which the mineral deposits of pneumatolytic-hydrothermal genesis were formed. There are also interesting speleothems, including stalactites, stalagmites, lava flows, canopies, cave pearls, etc., and a very interesting ossiferous breccia which has yet to be studied.

3. THE GEOLOGICAL PARK
   

In the square outside the building used as a geological- speleological museum have been placed some medium-sized rock samples with the relative descriptions on panels that rapresent the main lithologies present in the Sulcis. As far as depositology is concerned, it is possible to observe the outcrop of a copper mineralized body with the presence of malachite with its characteristic green colour, to which an illustrative bulletin board is connected with the description of the formation of the deposit and related studies by the Directors who worked in the mine. You can also observe a stratigraphic column  of the lower Sulcis, made with rocks

 

THE EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS

On the site, upon notification, some educational workshops can be implemented, concerning topics of geo-speleological and archaeological interest, i.e.:

MINERALOGY AND PETROGRAPHY LABORATORY, in which a
mineralogy and petrography microscope can be used to observe
samples of mineral crystals and thin sections of small rocks from 12
Sardinia and, in particular, from Sulcis Iglesiente;

PALEONTOLOGY LABORATORY, equipped with boxes in which
paleontological excavation simulations can be carried out and
subsequent classification of the samples found;

ARCHAEOLOGICAL LABORATORY, also equipped with boxes in
which can be carried out archaeological excavation simulations
and subsequent classification of the finds;

CARTOGRAPHY LABORATORY. In this laboratory, topographic
and thematic maps can be read and interpreted, and after having
carried out a topographic survey with compasses, the measured
data will be returned on paper.