Calanque

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Marseille, Les Calanques ~ IGN Top 25 3145ET (Paper Version) - Institut Geographique National de France (Institut Geographique National de France)

Marseille, Les Calanques ~ IGN Top 25 3145ET (The Outstanding All Weather Map) - Institut Geographique National de France (Institut Geographique National de France)

A calanque or calanche as they are known in Corsican is a geologic formation in the form of a deep valley with steep sides and a part submerged by the sea.

Formed from resistant limestone, the calanques are found mainly on the Mediterranean coasts. A parallel can be formed between the calanques, and the rias, the river mouths formed along the coast of Brittany.

Massif des Calanques

Good examples of this formation can be found in the Massif des Calanques by Marseille in the French Bouches-du-Rhône département. This range extends for 20 km in length and 4 km in width between Marseille and Cassis, culminating in Marseilleveyre (432 m) and Mont Puget (565 m). Among the most well-known calanques in the region are the Calanques d'en Vau, Port-Miou (transformed into a marina) and Sormiou.

Ecosystem

The calanques have a particular ecosystem (Collina-Girard, 2004a). The earth is quasi non-existent here, the limestone cliffs are traversed with very many faults and cracks into which the roots of plants are anchored. The climate is arid, with any moisture coming from evaporation of the sea. This xericity associated with the salt spray conditions the subsistence of an adapted and unique vegetation. The calanques also shelter the large crows and the Bonelli eagle as well as many reptiles and wild boars.

Tourism

The walls of the Cosquer cave found in the submerged part of the Calanque de Morgiou, 37 m underwater, are covered with paintings and engravings dating back to between 27,000 and 19,000 BC and depict many terrestrial animals such as bison, ibex, and horses as well as sea mammals like seals and penguins.

The calanques also attract a number of tourists throughout the year as well as hikers who follow the large number of trails. This has posed problems of overfrequentation and the possibility of damage to this delicate microhabitat.

The calanques are also closed to the public during the month of August due to the risk of forrest fire that occurs during the dry season..

The Calanques between Marseille and Cassis

Close to Cassis, the calanques are numerous and small, but some are well known:

• La Calanque de Sormiou
• La Calanque de Morgiou
• La Calanque d'En-Vau
• La Calanque de Sugiton
• Les Calanches de Piana

This article is licenced under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Calanque".