The wellness adventure> Relaxation
Step 2
alt_route The lower gorges of Lake Esparron
The Lac d'Esparron, so wild and natural, is an artificial reservoir that was created in 1967 following the construction of the Gréoux dam on the course of the Verdon.
The rocks of the gorges are limestones from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous period dating from around 150 to 145 million years ago. They formed in a shallow tropical sea.
At the outlet in the plain of Esparron the landscape changes: a fault separates the limestone country and the marl-limestone country bathed by the lake. These gray-yellowish layers are more recent than the previous ones: they have -130 to -133 Ma
Providers of water activities at Lake Esparron:
https://www.durance-luberon-verdon.com/activites-d-eau.html
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Limestone
Limestones are sedimentary rocks, just like sandstones or clays, and form the basis of many materials. These rocks come from the phenomenon of transformation into rocks of elements deposited by water, wind, ice or living beings in the biosphere which have concentrated or released certain substances such as oxygen, carbon dioxide (CO2) and calcium (lithification).
When the rock contains a significant proportion of clay, we speak more of marl. It is formed by accumulation, mainly at the bottom of the sea, but sometimes in a lake environment, ie in lakes, from the calcareous skeletons of micro-algae and animals (shells, corals, etc.).
Limestone is recognizable by its white tint (when pure) and generally the presence of fossils.