The plateau of Giara (jar of Gesturi) called by locals " JARA ", is a large area of territory located in the heart of Sardinia, with an area of 45 square kilometers, and a height of 550 meters above sea level. The Italian name Giara and the Sardinian name Jara are used in this part of the island, (and not only), to indicate the basalt plateaus or flat plains, often covered with lava, and probably derives from the Latin glarea or gravel . The Giara began its formation in the Miocene 20-25 million years ago, when in the area still submerged by the sea, sedimentary rocks were formed ( Marne and Arenarie ).
Over these layers of rock (about 2.7 million years ago) two fissures were created, from which the basaltic lava that covered the entire plank emerged. The two eruptive cones are known as Zepparedda (609 m) and Zeppara Manna (580 m), among these is the Sa Roja fault which crosses the plateau transversely, creating a step of about 30 meters. The edge of the plateau is affected by a landslide phenomenon that has created recesses in the vicinity of which are the only natural entrances to the plateau, le Scalas . Above a basalt surface, over the millennia, a light layer of earth has been deposited, rarely deep over 50 cm, on which a particular vegetation with a distinctly Mediterranean character has developed.
From the top of the Giara plateau during our excursions, from the slope of Tuili, you can have a dominant view over most of Sardinia, in particular the Marmilla, an area characterized by fertile and rounded hills, cultivated mainly with durum wheat, but where it is not rare to meet white flocks of sheep.
