COBISS: 1.02 KARST IN FRANCE AND UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE KRAS V FRANCIJI IN SVETOVNA NARAVNA DEDIŠčINA UNESCO Patric CABROL1 & Alain MANGIN2 Abstract UDC 551.44(44) Izvleček UDK 551.44(44) Patric Cabrol & Alain Mangin: Karst in France and Unesco Patric Cabrol & Alain Mangin: Kras v Franciji in svetovna World Heritage naravna dediščina Unesco Frenc� Karst covers t�e t�ird of t�e territory. Because calcare- Kras pokriva tretjino ozemlja Francije. Ker so karbonatne ous deposits date back to t�e Cambrian and are now located kamnine, ki so bile odložene od kambrija dalje, danes kot pla- in tabular region as well as in tectonic areas, Frenc� karst is note ali pa tektonsko razgibana ozemlja, je francoski kras znan famous for its diversity. Large karst landscapes are well known, po svoji pestrosti. Znane so obsežne kraške pokrajine, kot so suc� as Les Grands Causses, t�e Gorges du Tarn and t�e Gorges Les Grands Causses ali soteski rek Tarn in Verdon. Prav tako du Verdon. Resurgences suc� as t�e Vaucluse Fountain and t�e so znani kraški izviri, npr. Fontaine de Vaucluse ali izvir reke spring of t�e Lez are very famous too. Karstic units can s�ow Lez. Kraški sistemi so la�ko zelo veliki: šest �idrološki� siste- very large dimensions: 400 km for t�e six �ydrological net- mov Pierre Saint-Martin meri 400 km, v gori Arbas pa 104 works of t�e Pierre Saint-Martin, 104 km for t�e Arbas Moun- km. Največje globine, Pierre Saint-Martin, jami Berger in Jean tain. Maximum dept�s can reac� �ig� records, at Pierre Saint Bernard dosegajo rekorde, nedavno tega je bila v jami Mirolda Martin, Berger Cave, Jean Bernard Cave and recently Mirolda dosežena globina 1733 m. Raziskave v zadnji� sto leti� so od- Cave was acknowledged to reac� 1733-meter dept�. krile pomembno jamsko favno. Ni samo več kot 160 jam s pa- Studies proceeded during t�e last century �ave revealed an im- leolitsko jamsko umetnostjo najpomembnejša dediščina fran- portant cave fauna. Considering t�e �eritage value of Frenc� coskega krasa, ampak tudi številne zasigane jame. Poudariti je karst, t�e key point is not only t�e presence of more t�an 160 treba tudi redek pojav: zaganjalka Fontestorbes v departmaju decorated caves from Palaeolit�ic period but also t�e number Ariège je najpopolneje in najbolj zvezno opazovan tak izvir na of caves s�owing concretions. Moreover, a rare p�enomenon svetu. Veliko število izredni� pojavov v jama� za�teva pripravo �as to be underlined: in Ariege, t�e Intermittent Fontestorbes preučevanja in programov za ustrezno o�ranjanje te dediščine Spring is t�e most regularly and completely studied resurgence bodočim rodovom. in t�e world. This amount of exceptional features for t�ese Ključne besede: kras, naravna dediščina, Francija. caves commands to organise studies and programmes to estab- lis� conditions of a good conservation of t�is �eritage for t�e next generations. Key words: karst, natural �eritage, France. 1 DIREN Midi-Pyrénées, 1 rue Delpec�, Immeuble Couderc, 31 000 Toulouse, France, [email protected] 2 32, Lotissement des Noyers, F – 09200 Montjoie en Couserans, France Received/Prejeto: 04.09.2007 ACTA CARSOLOGICA 37/1, 87-93, POSTOJNA 2008 Patric CABROL & Alain MANGIN INTRODUCTION In France, 30% of t�e land is covered wit� calcareous for- concretions studies, biospeleology, geoc�emistry, and so mations more or less evolved to karst formations. About on… 100 000 caves are explored by about 20 000 speleologists; Famous scientists w�o left strong marks on mod- 7000 to 8000 of t�em belong to t�e Fédération Française ern knowledge of karst evolution made t�is long �istory. de Spéléologie and about 800 to t�e Club Alpin Français. Among t�em, Delarouzee is famous for �e initiated bio- The distribution of t�ese caves is very unequal. Some ar- speleology in t�e XIXt� century. Consecutive progress eas are very well supplied like Hérault for example wit� were made during t�e same century and t�e beginning 4000 caves w�ereas ot�ers like Côtes d’Armor (Brittany) of t�e XXt�, wit� Lucante, A. Viré, E Racovitza, Jeannel s�ow no cave at all. and essentially E.A. Martel w�ose name is undoubtedly It �as been a tradition for Frenc� scientists to be linked to modern knowledge of karst. Among explorers involved in t�e field of t�e underground studies. From we first �ave to mention Martel but also Fournier, G. de t�e middle of t�e XIXt� century up to now, t�is researc� Lavaur, R. de Joly, F Trombe and Norbert Casteret. �as been very active, and it is strongly organised t�roug� Even if t�e list is not ex�austive, we �ave to mention many laboratories linked or belonging to t�e CNRS. The A Cavaillé, J Corbel, B. Gèze, J. Nicod, P. Renault, A. Van- first laboratory in Europe devoted to karst studies was del, F. Trombe, as scientists, but it is essentially after t�e t�e Frenc� Laboratoire Souterrain de Moulis created in Second World War t�at t�e Frenc� researc� was t�e most Ariège. efficient, due to t�e results produced in t�e Laboratoire Many national and international working groups Souterrain de Moulis and t�e team of geograp�ers from �ave been active in various fields related to karst stud- Aix en Provence. ies: cave formation, c�aracteristics of karstic landscapes, Today, various researc� programs are in progress �ydrology in calcareous regions, cave sediments’ studies, t�roug� many teams from t�e CNRS and universities. THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE AND THE VARIETY OF THE FRENCH KARST. Frenc� karst is �ig�ly important regarding economic, oped: pure lime stones but also dolomites and dolomitic patrimonial, educative and sportive aspects. formations, argillaceous lime stones and marls, and so on. They appear as t�in layers or as massive beds. Some- Economic interest of the French karst w�ere, t�ey can be tabular but somew�ere else, t�ey can 107 caves are open for tourism and 4.000.000 of visi- be strongly tectonised. Some of t�em are enric�ed wit� tors are registered every year. (Padirac, Bét�aram, various metals suc� as lead, zinc, copper, barium and Orgnac,Clamouse, Armand, Demoiselles, C�oranc�e...). nickel, as for t�e sout�ern edge of t�e Montagne Noire. Many large cities only use water provided by karst: The Frenc� karst also develops under different cli- Montpellier wit� t�e Spring in Lez, t�e Fontaine de Nîmes, matic conditions. It varies from Mediterranean to Atlan- Besançon and so on… tic climate, and from �umid Atlantic to Continental and Some ores suc� as lead or zinc are trapped in karst: even up to semi-arid Mediterranean climate. Most of t�e see for instance t�e Malines Mine (Gard). Frenc� karst developed during t�e Quaternary Period but in some areas suc� as Quercy p�osp�ates, t�e karst The varietY of the French karst formation dates back to t�e Tertiary Period. A beautiful The Frenc� karst is extremely varied depending on t�e tertiary fossil fauna is very well preserved in t�is Quercy nature of t�e calcareous formations w�ere it �as devel- formation. A LARGE PATTERN OF POTENTIAL VARIETIES Because of t�e extreme diversity of its environment, t�e 1) Large karstic landscapes: Frenc� karst s�ows a large pattern of potential varieties. These large karstic landscapes made t�is country 88 ACTA CARSOLOGICA 37/1 – 2008 KARST IN FRANCE AND UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE very famous. First, we �ave to mention t�e Grands Causs- tion t�e Baget System in Ariège (Raymond Rouc� from es (Causse du Larzac, Causse Noir, Causse Méjean), t�e t�e laboratoire de Moulis), t�e Lez Resurgence in Hérault Gorges du Tarn and la Jonte, t�e Gorges du Verdon, t�e (Florian Malard from t�e university of Lyon), t�e Sauve Gorges de l’Ardèche, t�e Désert du Platé, les Arres d’Annie, Spring in Gard (C. Jubert�ie et R Rouc�), t�e Anglars la Pierre Saint Martin, t�e Massif du Vercors, t�e Jura System in Lot (C. Bou, Danielopol and R Rouc�), t�e Mountains wit� famous reculées suc� as la Loue, le Mas- Torcien System in Ain (G. Gibert), t�e Arbas System in sif de la Chartreuse and so on… Haute Garonne (F Lesc�er-Moutone and N Gourbault). Because of t�e size of t�e systems still to observe, t�ese 2) Important resurgences: studies are just beginning. The most famous in t�e world is probably t�e Fon- taine de Vaucluse but ot�er ones s�ow very �ig� flows 6) The French karst particularities: Palaeolithic age too suc� as t�e Lez Spring in Montpellier, la Fontaine de artefacts, concretions and Quercy phosphate ores. An Nîmes, t�e Loue Spring (Doubs), t�e Girardes in Dévoluy exceptional phenomenon: Fontestorbes, an intermit- Area, t�e Touvre in Angoulème, t�e C�artreux in Ca�ors, tent spring t�e Buège in t�e Séranne, Port-Miou w�ic� flows down Large karstic formations can be found everyw�ere into t�e Mediterranean Sea in t�e Calanques de Cassis in t�e world (C�ina, Europe, Madagascar, USA). In some near Marseille... countries, karst is particularly developed as it is in Slove- nia for instance. Extreme dept�s are also reac�ed in Cau- 3) Large hydrological systems: casus Karst, but t�e feature t�at makes t�e Frenc� karst Exceptional developments of galeries can be seen at exceptional, is t�e abundance and value of mixed arc�ae- t�e Pierre Martin, w�ere six �ydrological systems �ave ological, mineralogical and paleontological remains, and a total of 400-km long gallery, t�e Massif d’Arbas wit� last but not least, t�e exceptional natural p�enomenon of 104 km of galeries and wells, 45 entrances and 1004 m t�e Fontestorbes disturbed spring (literal translation of t�e of difference in level, t�e Alpe system wit� 60 km, t�e name of t�is intermittent spring) in Ariege.