Émosson

The circus of Émosson is a glacial basin of origin located in Suisse at the borders of the France. She is precisely leant with the solid mass of the Red Aiguilles, with the circus of Sixt, the valley of Illiez. Its single outlet is made towards the Swiss part of the valley of the black Eau, by the river of Barberine.

Etymology

The circus is composed of two localities:

Émosson. Probably an agglutination of *des let us mossons , i.e.: “of the heifers”.
the Old man. Perhaps of Latin viduus , widower, because this site is completely isolated. A height of the circus (and a brook) bear the name of Veudale. Do old men and Veudale come obviously from the same origin, perhaps *Vidulus and *Vidala , it (small) widowed and the widow? One can wonder whether these two names are not to attach to the side-Celtic root vidu- , “tree, wood”, but this circus is singularly deprived of any woodland vegatation.

Dams Émosson

The site of Émosson accommodates three Barrage S: dam Barberine (Years 1920), stopping of the Old man-Émosson (Years 1950) and finally dam Émosson (Years 1970).

Dam Barberine

The dam Barberine was built of 1920 with 1925 by the CF (Swiss federal Railroads) when the network was electrified at the end of the First World War to guarantee the independence of the country, coal for the steam trains having to be imported from abroad (Germany in particular). This stopping closed the bolt of the high valley of Barberine, upstream of the plate of Émosson. It produced with its two powerplants of the current at the north-European railway frequency of 16 ⅔ Hz, corresponding to the needs for the CF for all the French-speaking Switzerland .

Stopping of the Old man-Émosson

The second stopping, known as Barrage of the Old man-Émosson is located at the west, on Nant de Drance (with the place says the Old man, dimensions: 2205 m). Brought into service in 1955 by the CF, it made it possible to send in the reserve of Barberine the 13,5 million m ³ of water which it could contain, without drowning the plate of Émosson and its hamlet.

Dam Émosson

The third stopping, known as Dam Émosson , was built downstream from 1967 with 1973, on the Barberine river, to primarily manufacture industrial current with 50 Hz. Its construction caused engloutissement plate of Émosson. The name of the stopping was selected to remember it in this plate.

This work entirely located in Switzerland also receives water coming from France, in particular of the glaciers of Argentière and the Tour, but also of the small valley of Bérard. Hydro-electric installation thus formed is free-Switzerland and was inaugurated in October 1976.

The artificial lake (dimension: 1931 m) measurement 5 km length and contain approximately 225 million m ³ of water. When it is full, this third stopping submerges of 42 m the first dam Barberine. It is fed not only by water of the vicinity but also by those of the Massif of Mont Blanc, collected and conveyed in armor-plated wells passing under the valley of Water black and going up by effect of communicating vases.

Whereas the lake and the dam Émosson are in Suisse, the corresponding power station is located in France, at the border of Châtelard. The exploitation of water is carried out by a company binationale, Électricité of Émosson SA, which produces of the 50 industrial Hz. The production is proportional to the volumes of water brought by each partner (EDF and ATEL) and is shared to 50% for the France and 50% for the Suisse.

In addition, CF continuing to exploit the rights of water acquired with the Old man-Émosson and Barberine dams by their own powerplants located at Châtelard VS and Vernayaz and manufacturer of the current frequency 16 ⅔ Hz.

One reaches the stopping either by the old road of service having been used for construction of the stopping, or by borrowing railway Attractions of Châtelard VS (Funicular + Petit Panoramic Train + Minifunic) from the Swiss village of Châtelard VS, or, for most courageous, with foot by the collar of Passet (or To pass) since Vallorcine or Barberine.

Station of pumping-treatment by turbine action of Nant de Drance

A new project was launched by Atel and the CF: it is a question of building an underground station of pumping and treatment by turbine action between the Old man-Émosson and Émosson, on Nant de Drance. Water will be pumped Lake Émosson towards the lake of the Old man-Émosson for the periods of low electricity consumption (night and weekend); it will be turbinate in opposite direction at the time of peak demand. Four turbines will provide a total power of 600 MW.

Work could begin at the beginning 2008. They should last 7 years.

Traces of dinosaurs of Émosson

The Swiss slope of the collar of the Terrace, located at the south-eastern end of the circus, shelters grounds going back to the Trias (- 230 million years). The French geologist G. Bronner discovered on August 23rd, 1976 of the outcrops of fossilized sand plates (sandstone) in which were preserved traces of Dinosaure S (actually of archéosaures). These traces were hidden up to now under a firn.

This layer corresponds to a passage of animals on a beach (that of the Pangée). In addition to the traces, one sees very well the undulations of sand created by the waves. Several conditions had to be satisfied so that these prints reach us: a fine sand, a fast drying, covering by one or more layers of sediments. Only a geological miracle, thereafter, preserved them at the time of the folding of the Alps (the grounds remained interdependent of the base).

One knows few things about the primitive sauriens which left these traces, since one did not succeed in attaching them to an already known species. It is estimated however that these reptiles measured between two and four meters in height and weighed less than 500 kg. Four different species could be identified, two bipeds and two quadrupeds.

It is about the largest European layer with natural outcrop, excavation work of the transjurassienne having led to discovered of another important layer to Courtedoux, in the Swiss canton of the the Jura. The Canton of Were worth decided to classify the site, while leaving the grounds in place. The specialists estimate that natural erosion, due to freezing and the flows, should destroy the prints from here to 2020/2030. Mouldings were carried out and are preserved at the museum of Geneva).

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