Creeks of Marseilles

The creeks of Marseilles extend on more than twenty kilometers of coasts on the sea the Mediterranean between the village of the Goudes, district of the south-west of the town of Marseilles, and Cassis, in the Rhone delta. It is one of the most remarkable sites of France, and a major zone of natural resources and sports activities for its million annual visitors. The solid mass could become a National park in 2009.

Geography

The solid mass of the Calanque S with a 4 kilometers depth is the coastal fringe of the solid masses of Saint-Cyr military school and Marseilleveyre. Its culminating points are the top of Marseilleveyre (432 m) and the Mont Puget (565 m).

Geology and hydrology

Geology of the solid mass

Hydrology

The sea water is often fresher there because the cliffs fall right under the sea without real coastal plate and because many sources of fresh water run out in the sea, under its surface, by an underground grid which collects surface waters of the Montagne S (Marseilleveyre) and of the plate X (Carpiagne).

All the coasts limestones knew this phenomenon when the sea is descended 120 m before going up drowning the sources and the brooks. In the Mediterranean, with the Messinien graft -7 and -5 million years, the sea, practically disappearing, its level is " descendu" from 1000 to 1500 Mr.

Thus, an underground river of important flow (from 5 to 7 m3/sec) ends in the Calanque of Port-Miou, almost with the sea level; it seems to come from the Holy-Balsam and would be fed by an aquifer of 1000 km ² under Provence. Such a flow would make it possible to feed out of drinking water more than one million people. As of the Antiquity, this source is known (Pythéas makes mention of it). However according to the divings carried out, it is a brackish water because it undergoes sea water increase by faults and, in addition, it is contaminated by the rejection of the red muds (resulting from the treatment of the Bauxite) rejected to 300 m with broad in the Cassis bay.

Climate

The Climat is a Mediterranean Climat, with a strong aridity, the essence of the moisture coming from the marine evaporation and rains from autumn and winter, strong but separated by long episodes from dryness and benefitting only very partially the vegetation because of the streaming.

The average of the rainfall is about 600 mm per annum and the Cape Croisette, point entrance of the Creeks in the South of Marseilles, with 360 mm on average, is the most arid zone of France. The violence of certain precipitations is extreme: thus Météo France raised on December 1st, 2003 a height of water of 218 mm in Marseilles and 235 mm with Cassis for a rain having lasted only two hours; to compare with the 100 mm raised by Weather France at the time of the storm of May 17th, 1971 on the the Dordogne, regarded as remarkable.

High temperatures with very strong variations of winds, Mistral and wind of the North-West account for 43% of the been windy days and this has a great implication on evaporation and in particular, on the level of the littoral.

In the marine zone, these winds induce very strong currents and deep water increase and when the mistral blew, one can have according to the deep water increase, of the temperature variations which can drop in a few hours of 23 - 25 ° with 13 - 15°, temperature of deep water of the Mediterranean. But they are also these increase of deep water which enriches the mineral zone and which allows a biodiversity which can develop rather well.

Flora of the solid mass

The solid mass of the creeks constitutes a particular ecosystem. The ground is quasi non-existent there, the prolonged cliffs Calcaire S of fall are traversed very many faults and cracks in which the roots of the plants are anchored.

This Xéricité associated with the Embrun S salted conditions the subsistence of a Végétation adapted: Heather multiflore erica, thorny cushions of the Astragale of Marseilles, Laurustine, Kermes oak, Salsepareille, pine of Alep and Genévrier accompany by the endemic species like the Fougère scolopendre or the grass with Gouffé, which is almost one of the symbols of the creeks.

On the whole, one can consider that 83 species are protected nationally or on a regional level, is registered on the list of the threatened species.

The inventory of the habitats which was carried out within the framework of the studies of Natura 2000 counts twenty six natural habitats for which it is necessary to add forty mixed habitats. There are four great units, the rock habitats with cliffs and the falls, the forest habitats with pine forest climacic, the open habitats which are the lawns and the garrigues as well as the littoral habitats. There exists a fifth whole of habitats of which you will not see images, strictly related to the sources. Its surface is very limited, they are the wet habitats, they are rare and they thus should be very strongly protected.

The fauna of the solid mass

The fauna of the creeks either is adapted, generally and in particular for the insects, or relic like the Aigle of Bonelli. The birds nicheurs are remarkable and the solid mass shelters a very strong percentage of marine birds since 30% of the population of the ashy puffins and océanites storms of France are in this solid mass, like 10% of the Puffins of the Mediterranean.

For the invertebrates, which are very well adapted to the medium, it acts is coleopters as the great Capricorn which have élytres which protect them from the desiccation, that is to say of lépidoptères, i.e. butterflies and especially of micro butterflies.

Creeks of Marseilles with Ciotat

The creeks of Marseilles are on the communal territories of Marseilles essentially and of Blackcurrant (for that of Port-Miou) are of West in Is (the principal ones are in bold characters):

the Creek of Callelongue : port, restaurant, center of diving UCPA, accessible in the bus (line n°19) or convey
the creek of Mounine,
the Calanque of Marseilleveyre: beach, bar-restaurant, with foot since Callelongue, center of diving
the creek of Queyrons
the creek of Podestat
the Creek of Cortiou: outfall of waste water of Marseilles
the Creek of Sormiou : village and small port, restricted access in the car
the Creek of Morgiou : village and small port, restricted access in the car
the Creek of Sugiton : family, pedestrian access since Luminy
the Creek of Stone-Fallen: naturist
the Creek of the Glass eye: reserved to the hikers
the Creek of Devenson: for the sportsmen
the Creek of Oule: quasi-inaccessible
the Creek of In-Vau : beach, center of the climbing, most known
the Creek of Port-Pine : with foot since Blackcurrant
the Creek of Port-Miou : old career, arranged in marina, it is the only creek which belongs to the commune of Cassis

Major points

Site of walk and climbing

The GR. 51 and its alternatives

The solid mass attracts all the year of many tourists and Randonneur S thanks to the vast choice of Sentier S hung between the tortuous Mer and reliefs. The GR. 51 crosses the majority of those which one finds in Provence. Offering a space visually very preserved in the vicinity direct of very wide cities sometimes, they concretize the problems of Surfréquentation in fragile natural environment. Because of the fire hazards, and order of the prefect, the sensitive solid masses of the whole of the department of the Mouths of the Rhone are closed with the public of July 1st until 2nd Sunday of September included; the creeks of Marseilles were concerned with this prohibition until the summer 2007, where the experiment was tempted to close the access only the days of mistral. It is preferable to get information near the prefecture of the Rhone delta.

An exceptional site of climbing

Many sites of Escalade are equipped there since the years 1970: these creeks are one of the most beautiful solid masses of the Liste of the sites of climbing in France. Vastest calcareous solid mass of France at low altitude, offering more than 100 km of ways. One finds there ways interesting of all difficulties, from one to five stars.

Site of diving

The Grotte Cosquer is located above the sea level, under the point of Morgiou , but its entry is with - 37 m basic, a long bowel going up towards the cave. Following a fatal accident of diving, this entry is prohibited. Its walls are decorated paintings and engravings going back to 27.000 to 19.000 years before J-C and represent terrestrial animals (bisons, ibexes, horses…) as well as marine (seals, penguins…). The entry now immersed were located at nearly one hundred meters above the sea level at the time where the drawings and prints were carried out, during the marine regression caused by the last glaciation.

In front of the solid mass of the creeks of Marseilles, two Roman wrecks were excavated at the time of one of the first large campaigns of the Calypso of the Commander Cousteau, with the foot of the small island of the Large-Congloué . Recently was found with the foot of the Jaïre island the wreck of the ship which brought to Marseilles terrible the Peste of 1720.

With a half-thousand in the east of the island of Riou, in front of the solid mass, Aéro-Relic association and the Marseilles company Comex in 2003 went up on the surface the wreck of the military aircraft of type Lockheed P-38 Lightning of the famous writer-aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, missing on July 31st, 1944 at the time of a reconnaissance mission preparing the unloading from the Alliés (August 15th) on the coasts of Provence.

The amateurs of diving can go down to visit the wreck of the steamer " Liban" , failed against falling from the island Mayor, at the western end of the solid mass.

Naturism

The Naturism, social phenomenon contemporary under development full, appeared in 1929 in the creeks of Marseilles in the context of the conferences and publications of a Marseilles doctor, Doctor Joseph Poucel, considered hygienist, and one of the pioneers of French naturism. One of the most known places, the creek of Stone-Fallen, located after that of Sugiton, was in February 2006 the place of a mortal crumbling.

Management of the solid mass

The main part of the Creeks are on the communal territory of the town of Marseilles (8th and 9th districts). Only the creek of Miou Port is on the territory of the commune of Blackcurrant.

Protection under the classified sites

The solid mass of the Creeks and the archipelago of Riou form a Site classified since 1975 for the ground, and 1976 for the maritime band of the 500 meters. The surface of the whole of the site is of approximately: 7 200 hectares: 5585 terrestrial and: 2207 sailor.

The GIP of the Creeks

85% of the solid mass belong to public owners. A Groupement of public interest was created by the State, the Town of Marseilles, the department of the Mouths of the Rhone, the area PACA, associations and the propriétaitres private. The GIP of the Creeks was the first structure in the field of the environment to being created, on December 17th, 1999. It is made up for eight years. Its object is double: dialog on the protection measures and preparation of the project of National park.

The project of National park

A first project of National park of the Creeks is currently being studied. A bill had been filed in 2005 with the National Assembly, but it did not have a continuation. Because of new regulation on the National parks, intervened in 2006, a file will be deposited by the GIP near the Prime Minister before the end of 2007. After approval, the Park could be created in 2009.

Notes and references of the article

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