Géoparc Haute Provence

Les pénitents des Mées fermer la vidéo The village of Les Mées is famous for its rock pillars, some one hundred meters high, which stretch for over two kilometers along the Durance valley. Erosion has carved these cliff-forming cones and blades out of a thick layer of indurated poudingues of Mio-Pliocene age. Legend has it that these were petrified monks in their robes who fell in love with beautiful Moorish creatures taken prisoner by local lords during a battle against the Saracens. Regarder la vidéo Lagremuse tap anywhere to close player The former village of Lagremuse, now in ruins, has been part of the Chaffaut-Saint-Jurson commune since 1887. Remarkably situated on a rocky eminence, composed of a conglomerate called Poudingues de Valensole, overlooking the Val de Bléone, it offers a lovely semicircular panorama of the Dignois Pre-Alps. Lagremuse is also the name given to the small grey wall lizard, which is particularly fond of the rocky crevices in which it finds refuge. Voir la vidéo L’Estrop tap anywhere to close player At the heart of the Haute Bléone, the summit of Estrop, the highest point of the Trois-Évêchés massif and the Geopark, towers above the Alpes de Haute-Provence département at an altitude of 2961 meters. Its geology is marked by Annot sandstone, a slightly pink nummulitic sandstone resting on blue marl and limestone from the Cretaceous period (145 million to 66 million years ago).

Its rugged surroundings, devoid of any permanent population, mean that it cannot be reached directly by car. The hike is more accessible in two days, with an overnight stay in a refuge. At the summit, a 360° panorama offers breathtaking views. Regarder la vidéo The velodrome and Facibelle blade tap anywhere to close player A natural curiosity in the heart of the Haute-Provence Geopark, the Blade de Facibelle is a miracle of balance. This 50-metre-high veil of rock rises from the center of the famous Vélodrome site.

At the gateway to the Bès valley, this immense sheet of sandstone molasse, upright and isolated by erosion, defies time and gravity. The rocks that make up the Vélodrome are less than 20 million years old, and were partly deposited in a shallow sea bordered by relief, the last sea to bathe our landscape. Voir la vidéo Les Monges tap anywhere to close player A pre-Alpine massif located in the north of the Alpes de Haute-Provence between Digne-les-Bains and Lac de Serre-Ponçon, the Massif des Monges (so named because the Monges – meaning “monks” – of the Saint-Victor abbey owned much of the surrounding land) is an area of contrasting relief that impresses with its ambient calm.
The geological diversity of its soils, pastoral activity and dual climatic influence make the Monges a haven for flora and fauna.

This massif impresses with its landscapes, alternating mountain pastures, narrow valleys and forgotten villages. It’s the perfect place to get away from it all, and satisfy your thirst for freedom and wide-open spaces. Regarder la vidéo Le Cousson tap anywhere to close player Le Cousson, which rises to an altitude of 1516 meters, is the emblematic summit and must-see hike for the people of Digny. Legend has it that only at the foot of this mountain could people live happily in its shade. Etymologically speaking, the name Cousson comes from the Latin cossonus (coussoun in Provençal) meaning “wooden bowl used by shepherds for milking and drinking”. At its summit stands the pretty little chapel of Saint-Michel de Cousson, strangely perched on the edge of the cliff. According to an ancient tradition, a pilgrimage brings the faithful here every Whit Monday. Voir la vidéo La clue de Barles tap anywhere to close player In this majestic setting, the river has cut a narrow gorge through folded limestone layers that were straightened vertically when the Alps were formed. This particular morphology, which corresponds to a fold cut perpendicular to its axis, is known as a clue. Clues are relatively common in the region. They form a kind of geographical and climatic barrier. In winter, rain to the south of the Barles clue is often replaced by snow to the north. Regarder la vidéo Archail, the Black Lands tap anywhere to close player Welcome to the moon! In the heart of the Haute-Provence Geopark, the “terres noires”, a lunar-like landscape, are a breathtaking sight. The rock of which they are composed is the result of the deposition of marine clay-limestone sediments known as marl. The erosion of these marls is known as robines (gullies). Their color is due to the presence of iron sulfide. The black soils are called “bad lands” by the English, as vegetation is virtually non-existent. Only a few thorny shrubs survive on these impermeable, highly erodible rocks. Voir la vidéo Pic de Couard and Barre des Dourbes tap anywhere to close player The highest point of the Dourbes bar, the Pic de Couard is one of the Dignoise region’s most emblematic peaks. It offers magnificent views over the Asse de Tartonne and Bléone valleys, the Cheval Blanc massif and the Pre-Alps.

A long limestone ridge running north-south, the Dourbes bar separates the Digne basin from the Barrême syncline. From time immemorial, the weaknesses of this rocky ridge have been used as natural passageways to enable people to travel between the Asse and Bléone valleys and Digne les Bains. Between the Pas de la Faye and the Pas de Tartonne, the bar is pierced by the Saint-Martin hole, through which a ray of sunrise passes on St-Martin’s Day, November 11 and January 30, St-Martine’s Day. Regarder la vidéo Dormillouse tap anywhere to close player Built in 1862, the Dormillouse fortress kept watch over the Ubaye valley from its 2505m altitude. It also controlled the pass and warned of the arrival of the Italians. Dormillouse means “the sleeper”, which is the popular name for the marmot. The oldest inhabitants of the valley tell us that the bored soldiers of Dormillouse used to organize balls to entertain themselves, taking the local girls on mules.

Accessible by hike from the chairlift, Montclar station or Col Bas, it offers breathtaking views over the Ubaye Valley, the Vallée de la Blanche and Lac de Serre-Ponçon. The assurance of an invigorating historical discovery with a magnificent view. Voir la vidéo Géruen tap anywhere to close player The Géruen mountain is a characteristic limestone bar, like many of its neighboring peaks – including the Rocher des Brigands, named after a bygone era! It overlooks the Duyes valley and is usually reached via the Col de Fontbelle. You’ll see the village of Thoard, fields sometimes cultivated with real lavender (not lavandin) and astonishing scenery made up of large limestone blocks that seem to be planted in the underlying marl.

The area was completely reforested in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to combat erosion. While Austrian black pine dominates, ash and alder populate the damp valleys, while Scots pine and maple brighten up the sunny slopes. Biodiversity is remarkable. Regarder la vidéo Le Caire tap anywhere to close player The famous via ferrata de la grande fistoire is located here, in the Fougère rock. Composed of limestone strata that have been vertically straightened and even tilted, strongly folded and fractured several times, this rock lies at the geological crossroads of autochthonous terrain (which has not moved) and allochthonous units (Digne nappe, Valavoire unit), sections of mountains that have migrated several kilometers from the ENE. The clue du Caire is also very spectacular. Voir la vidéo Nibles, the Sasse valley tap anywhere to close player In the heart of the Hautes-Terres de Provence region, the Sasse valley is a long, wooded corridor that opens onto the agricultural environments of the valley floor and the gently rolling hillsides. It gives access to mountainous terroirs enclosed by large ridges and rocky massifs. The region’s geology is dominated by limestone, punctuated by sandstone and marl.

The Sasse is a left-bank tributary of the Durance, which rises in the commune of Selonnet, north of the Tête Grosse summit (2,032 m), at an altitude of 1,920 m. Sasse is a common name in the Alps, coming from the Latin saxum meaning rock. Regarder la vidéo Pas de l’Escale, Majastres tap anywhere to close player It’s a little piece of the world reached via the D17, which weaves its way between the Asse and Verdon valleys, linking Majastres (4 inhabitants in 2019) to the Asse valley. Once past the Col de la Croix, the hillside road overlooks the deep canyon of the Pas de l’Escale torrent. Downstream, it joins the Estoublaïsse and Trévans gorges. Limestone cliffs, a clue and the crossing of the L’Escale torrent at the Pas (passage) of the same name await us as we continue on our way. Below us, we can see ancient stone paths, some carved into the rock, some of which date back to Roman times, and an ancient stone bridge before reaching Majastres. Voir la vidéo The Written Stone tap anywhere to close player It’s in the perched synclinal fold of the Gache mountain that the Riou du Jabron, a small torrent that rises in the commune of Saint-Geniez, has carved out a passage that links Sisteron to Authon. This is the Pierre-Écrite gorge, so named because of the astonishing Gallo-Roman inscription engraved in the rock, in the footsteps of Dardanus, prefect of the Gauls and epistolary correspondent of Saint Augustine. One of the emblematic sites on the Route du Temps. Regarder la vidéo Sisteron tap anywhere to close player Sisteron is known locally as the “Gateway to Provence”. The Rocher de la Baume and its clue (cluse) are its most prestigious landmark. Composed of vertical limestone strata and world-renowned folds, this rock is considered a real curiosity by geologists. The limestone sediments deposited on the seabed at the end of the Jurassic period formed layers that were folded a first time at the end of the Secondary Era, then a second time during the surrection of the Alps in the Tertiary.

Sisteron’s citadel overlooks the town, built on a rocky spur. The citadel was a strategic lock on the road leading from the Alps to the Mediterranean. Listed as a historic monument, it is the town’s centerpiece. Jean Errard, military engineer to Henri IV, and later Vauban, left their mark on the citadel. Voir la vidéo Turriers and the Astoin turnstiles tap anywhere to close player Les Tourniquets is the name given to the series of twists and turns that the departmental road no. 1 makes as it crosses the rocky barrier formed by the Jurassic limestone that closes off the Sasse basin to the north. This road connects the Bayons valley, its forests and alpine pastures with the Turriers basin and, via the Garcinets pass, with Seyne and the Blanche valley.

The Astoin turnstiles are the successor to the mule track on the other bank of the Eau Amère, which predates it by a long way. In fact, it already appeared on the Cassini map in the 18th century. Regarder la vidéo Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon lake tap anywhere to close player Located at the crossroads of the Alps, the Côte d’Azur and Provence, Lac de Sainte-Croix is a refreshing stopover with its turquoise waters. France’s fourth-largest artificial reservoir, the water flows from the Gorges du Verdon via the Pont de Galetas, covering a distance of almost 11 km before arriving at the 95 m-high dam. The Gorges du Verdon are Europe’s largest canyon. They offer splendid and unique landscapes. Voir la vidéo The Valensole Plateau tap anywhere to close player The Valensole plateau, recognized as one of the largest in France, is mainly devoted to lavender and cereal cultivation. It was formed by an immense quantity of rocks deposited by the surrounding rivers. Over millions of years, hundreds of meters of pebbles (called poudingues) accumulated here. When the lavender blooms, the plateau takes on a purple hue. A truly exceptional sight!

The Valensole plateau was formed by an immense quantity of rocks deposited by the surrounding rivers. Over millions of years, hundreds of meters of pebbles (called poudingues) accumulated here, forming the plateau and its surroundings.

Overlooking the Valensole plateau, the village of Saint Jurs is perched on the mountain to the north of the Verdon, backing onto Mont Denier. In fact, it is the highest village on the plateau. Regarder la vidéo Le Blayeul tap anywhere to close player From the valley, in the Parc forestier du Brusquet, you can observe the Blayeul and understand part of the geological history of the area.

The Blayeul mountain is the protector of the middle Bléone and stands like a mighty ridge separating the Bléone and Bès valleys. Today impassable by carriage road, the massif was once criss-crossed by paths linking the two valleys. Its summit rises to 2189 m.

Geologically, it’s an eastward-sloping monocline of Mesozoic rocks. The whole area belongs to the Digne Nappe, which overlies Cenozoic-age terrain.

The etymology of the name remains uncertain. The root of the name Blayeul is perhaps linked to a very ancient origin (pre-Celtic) which would have given blai, the primitive form of plai, meaning maple, used in F. Mistral’s Le Trésor du Félibrige, as well as in S-J Honnorat’s Dictionary. Voir la vidéo keyboard_arrow_left keyboard_arrow_right Les-Mées La Clue de Barles 3 Les terres noires Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon_Vue lac table orientation_crédit UNESCO Géoparc de Haute-Provence, Julia Boutron

Legend

1
The velodrome and Facibelle blade
2
La clue de Barles
3
Le Blayeul
4
Dormillouse
5
L’Estrop
6
Archail, the Black Lands
7
Pic de Couard and Barre des Dourbes
8
Le Cousson
9
Le Pas de l’Escale, Majastres
10
Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon lake
11
The Valensole Plateau
12
Lagremuse
13
Les pénitents des Mées
14
Sisteron
15
The Written Stone
16
Géruen Mountain
17
Nibles, the Sasse valley
18
Cairo
19
Turriers and the Astoin turnstiles
20
Les Monges