The material and landscape adventure> Stone in all its forms
Step 3
alt_route Option 1 - Verdon Gorge
From Castellane to Lake Sainte-Croix, the Verdon receives water from the neighboring torrents which carved these gorges so famous today in the limestone.
The white limestones of the gorges date from the Jurassic, a geological period which extends from - 201,3 to - 145 million years. The stacking of limestone layers is mainly the result of the presence of corals. They live in the warm and shallow limpid waters of the sea which then occupied the region in the Upper Jurassic around - 150 to - 160 Ma Corals are so-called "constructor" organisms: their skeletons accumulate in reefs. The shells of these mollusks living in colony thus increase the calcareous mass.
White water providers: https://www.verdontourisme.com/je-prepare-mon-sejour-dans-le-verdon/activites/eau-vive/
Access: April to October - navigation and whitewater activities ONLY possible on water release days.
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The clues of Haute-Provence
In the territory of Haute-Provence, the limestones of the late Jurassic are easily recognized; they form impressive massifs and rocky bars!
These deep valleys are either gorges or clues. The word "clue", which means "closed" in Latin, designates the constriction of a stream, a few hundred meters in length at most.
The hard limestone layers form natural barriers that are difficult to cross and the torrents take advantage of areas where the rock is fractured to cut its passage.
The most famous clue is that of the Durance: the Sisteron clue. Guarded by the Citadel, it is strategic and marks the border between Provence and Dauphiné. Complete your knowledge with the “Earth and Time” course.
North of the Verdon gorges, many clues have been cut by rivers and low-alpine torrents: Clue de Barles, Clue de Chabrières, Sisteron or Bayons.