Préalpes de Castellane

The Préalpes de Castellane are a solid mass of the Préalpes south Frenchwomen located on the departments of the the Alpes-Maritimes, the Alp-of-High-Provence and the Var. The Eastern part is often called Préalpes de Grasse .

Geography

Situation

The solid mass extends from west in is, in the south and the east of Castellane until in the north of Grasse and Vence, like in the south of the the Verdon and the south and the west of the river Var.

It is located at the south of the Préalpes de Digne, of the Massif of the Three bishoprices, the Massif of Pelat and the Massif of Mercantour, like in the west of the Préalpes of Nice.

The solid mass is composed of plates and long assembly lines which extend from west in east. The average altitude of the mounts is of 1400 m and the plates of 900 Mr.

Principal tops

Puy de Rent, 1996 m, culminating point of the solid mass
Peak of Rent, 1974 m
Summit of Bernarde, 1941 m
Mountain of Teillon, 1893 m
Peak of Charmatte, 1878 m
Mountain of Cheiron (Summit of Cheiron, Jerusalem), 1778 m
Peak of the Greenhouses, 1777 m
Summit of Crémon, 1760 m
Mountain of Lachens, 1714 m
Harpille, 1686 m
Mountain of Thorenc (Peak of the Eagle), 1644 m
Bauroux, 1644 m
Mountain ofAudibergue (Signal of Andon), 1642 m
the Cuguyons, 982 m

Geology

These préalpes consists of Calcaire S argillaceous (Molasse) and of rock Karstique on the plates of high-altitude.

The mounts present formations dolomitic limestones and of Jurassic age affected by crumplings and overlappings of East-West orientation. The surface formations cover important surfaces: sharp falls in foot of cliff and formations colluvionnaires in the small valleys.
The plates of altitude present a soft topography and the features characteristic of a calcareous landscape attesting a very developed karstification: Lapiaz, Doline S, dry valleys, losses of temporary flow, caves, Swallow-hole S of 60 m (cave of Holy-Balsam with Saint-Vallier-with-Thiey up to 150 m of depth in the Plane of Canjuers.

The solid mass was formed starting from the secondary era under the Crétacé (- 100 million years; -65 million years) For this period, the plate of Africa and that of Eurasia enter in collision and cause the pad of the Alps, and the formation of the Mediterranean. All the sedimentary layers which had settled with the top of the Gypse will fall apart, slip, break, enchevêter what definite a ground of the secondary on tertiary sector. The movement of the plates continues (it approaches per annum 1 mm) but the sedimentary ground is karstic, it erodes more quickly than the crystalline rock of the old solid masses of the Précambrien like Estérel or the Moors.

Activities

Winter sports resort

Ruail
Gréolières-the-Snows

See too

Plane of Canjuers
Geography of the Western Alps

External bonds

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