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. In 1967 and 1968 he carried out geohydrological investigations in the Mu River basin (Central Burma) for a UN irrigation project, while in the 1970 he developed a geological study in Mindanao (Philippines). In northern Pakistan Desio 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 Beijing, Desio crossed Southern Tibet with a team of Chinese scientists. In 1989 he 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 5,050 m at the base of Mount Everest. The aim was to grant multidisciplinary scientific investigations at high quote. The “Pyramid” is still in existence and the laboratory still works. Exploration of mountains in Antarctica In 1961, he was invited by the National Science Foundation to visit Antarctica, particularly the stations of McMurdo, Byrd and Amundsen-Scott at the South Pole, and the Wright Valley, one of the Dry Valleys (Victoria Land). Membership and titles Desio was President of the Geological Committee of Italy, of the Geological Society and is honorary President of the Paleontology Society, of the National Association of Italian Geologists. He was the first president of the Italian Order of Geologists. Desio was a member of the Italian National Academy of Lincei. He was awarded an honorary degree in Geological Sciences by the University of Urbino in 1985. Final years He spent his last four years in Rome, where he died in December 2001, aged 104. He is buried in Palmanova, his native town. References 1897 births 2001 deaths People from Palmanova Italian explorers 20th-century Italian geologists Italian mountain climbers 20th-century Italian cartographers Italian centenarians Men centenarians