The contribution of the De Filippi expedition (1913-1914) to the geological knowledge of the Aksai Chin region (western Himalaya)

Between the years 1913 to 1914 the De Filippi Expedition, led by the Italian explorer and mountaineer Filippo De Filippi (1869–1938), traversed the Himalayan Range from Kashmir to Baltistan and Xinjiang. Exploring mostly unknown territories, traveling more than 2000 kilometers, and equipped with advanced instruments for geodetic and meteorological measurements, the expedition members surveyed, mapped and collected rocks and fossils including from the remote Aksai Chin region. After almost two years, the expedition returned to Italy, however, publication of the findings was delayed due to the outbreak of the First World War. The fossil material and syntheses of the geology and stratigraphy of the area represented unique documents on this sector of Western Tibet, with the Cretaceous Period being documented by the expedition for the first time in the whole Trans-Himalayan Range. The Aksai Chin region remains poorly explored even today, and the De Filippi collection which is housed in the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence now represents one of the few records available for reconstructing the stratigraphy of the area. It constitutes a valuable resource regarding the history of the scientific exploration and understanding of the geology and paleontology of the region, providing a unique window into a very remote and fascinating part of the world.