A calanque (, "inlet"; , plural ''calanche'' or ''calanchi''; , plural ''calancas'') is a narrow, steep-walled inlet that is developed in

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, dolomite, or other

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid, (), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word "carbonate" may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonate group ...

strata In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of Rock (geology), rock or sediment characterized by certain Lithology, lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by v ...

and found along the Mediterranean coast. A calanque is a steep-sided valley formed within

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

ic regions either by

fluvial A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

erosion or the collapse of the roof of a cave that has been subsequently partially submerged by a rise in

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

.Bird, E.C.F., 2008, ''Coastal Geomorphology: An Introduction'', 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons Ltd. West Sussex, England. Goudie, A., 2004, ''Encyclopedia of Geomorphology.'' Routledge. London, England. Monroe, W.H., 1970, ''A Glossary of Karst Terminology.'' Water-Supply Paper 1899-K. U.S. Geological Survey. Reston, Virginia.

Characteristics

Location

The best known examples of this formation can be found in the Massif des Calanques (''Massís dei calancas'' in

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

, the traditional local language) in the

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...

department of

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

. The range extends for in length and in width along the coast between

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

and Cassis, culminating in Mont Puget (). Similar calanques can also be found on the

French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

near the Massif de l'Esterel and on the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

( Calanques de Piana). The highest points along the calanques are located at Mont Puget () and in the mountains of Marseilleveyre (). Similarities are seen between calanques and '' rias'', the river mouths formed along the coast of

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

in Northern France. The

calanques of the Massif des Calanques lie within the recently created

Calanques National Park Calanques National Park (French language, French: ''Parc national des Calanques''; ) is a List of national parks of France, French national park located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in Bouches-du-Rhône, Southern France. Establi ...

(2012) and include the Calanque de Sormiou, Calanque de Morgiou, Calanque de Port-Miou and Calanque de Sugiton, which is now accessible only on reservatio during summer. There are additional calanques in the national park, further east along the coast, incised into Cap Canaille. These calanques formed in different rock strata, often in layers of cemented pebble conglomerate. Calanques are also present in the Italian Apennines, in locations such as the Accona Desert and in the ''Calanchi'' natural preserve of

Atri Atri or Attri is a Vedic sage, who is credited with composing numerous shlokas to Agni, Indra, and other Vedic deities of Hinduism. Atri is one of the Saptarishi (seven great Vedic sages) in the Hindu tradition, and the one most mentioned in ...

Geology

Modern day calanques along the Mediterranean Sea are steep-sided valleys that the

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

( Flandrian) marine transgression partially submerged to form cliff-edged inlets. These valleys were either incised by

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s or created by cave collapse as karstic dry valleys when sea level was lower than at present. Along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, some of the valleys, which were flooded to form calanques, might date back to the

Messinian salinity crisis In the Messinian salinity crisis (also referred to as the Messinian event, and in its latest stage as the Lago Mare event) the Mediterranean Sea went into a cycle of partial or nearly complete desiccation (drying-up) throughout the latter part of ...

between 5.96 and 5.32 million years ago. During this period of time, the Mediterranean Sea became isolated from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

and its surface level dropped as much as below the level of the Atlantic Ocean.Krijgsman W., F.J. Hilgen, I. Raffi, F.J. Sierro, and D.S. Wilson, 1999, ''Chronology, causes and progression of the Messinian salinity crisis.'' Nature. v. 400, no. 6745, pp. 652-655.Ryan W.B.F., 1976, ''Quantitative evaluation of the depth of the Western Mediterranean before during and after the Last Miocene salinity crisis.'' Sedimentology. v. 23, no. 6, pp. 791-813. As a result, not only did

evaporite An evaporite () is a water- soluble sedimentary mineral deposit that results from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporite deposits: marine, which can also be described as oce ...

s accumulate on the

abyssal plain An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between . Lying generally between the foot of a continental rise and a mid-ocean ridge, abyssal plains cover more than 50% of the Earth's surface. They ...

s of the Mediterranean Sea, but also

s flowing into it deepened their

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

s by hundreds of metres. The

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

most notably cut a

canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

as deep as into

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

carbonate strata near its confluence with its tributary the

Ardèche Ardèche (; , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Mocochain, L., P. Audra, G. Clauzon, O. Bellier, J.-Y. Bigot, O. Parize, and P. Monteil, 2009, ''The effect of river dynamics induced by the Messinian Salinity Crisis on karst landscape and caves: Example of the Lower Ardèche river (mid Rhône valley)'' Geomorphology, v. 106, no. 1-2, pp. 46-61. Also at this time, steep-walled, dry karstic valleys were formed by the collapse of caves that developed in limestone, dolomite, and other carbonate rocks in response to the greatly lowered sea level of the Mediterranean Sea.Audra, P., L. Mocochain, H. Camus, E. Gilli, G. Clauzon, and J.-Y. Bigot, 2004, ''The effect of the Messinian Deep Stage on karst development around the Mediterranean Sea. Examples from Southern France.'' Geodinamica Acta. v. 17, no. 6, pp. 27–38. Later, during the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

, these valleys were further enlarged and modified by fluvial, karst, and other processes during

interglacial An interglacial period (or alternatively interglacial, interglaciation) is a geological interval of warmer global average temperature lasting thousands of years that separates consecutive glacial periods within an ice age. The current Holocene i ...

drops of sea level within the range. During these periods of interglacial low sea level, additional steep-sided valleys, which were later flooded to create calanques, along the Mediterranean coastline were formed by fluvial and karst processes.Collina-Girard, J., 1996
''Prehistory and coastal karst area: Cosquer Cave and the “Calanques” of Marseille.''
Karstologia. v. 27, pp. 27-40. Today, they can be seen as deep, narrow valleys that are partly submerged by the sea and are made up of limestone or granite.

Ecosystem

left, Calanques at Vezzano sul Crostolo, Italian Apennines The calanques have a particular

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

, as

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

is almost non-existent there, and the limestone cliffs instead contain numerous cracks into which the roots of plants are anchored. Nevertheless, the biota is diverse, with over 900 plant species, including a number of endemics like the Marseille Tragacanth and Sabline de Marseille: members of the Papilionaceae family, which can only be found in the hills of

. In places where cliffs are less vertical, the vegetation is a classic Mediterranean maquis, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s such as sage,

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

and myrtle. It is similar to

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

in many aspects, but with taller shrubs, typically high as opposed to for heath. Like elsewhere on the Mediterranean coast, the Calanques' climate is arid, with moisture during much of the year coming only from the evaporation of the sea. This dry habitat associated with salt spray conditions the subsistence of adapted vegetation. The Calanques shelter

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

s, foxes, large

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

s and Bonelli's eagles, as well as many

reptile Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...

s and wild

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

Tourism

The calanques between Marseille and Cassis are popular amongst tourists and locals alike, offering several vantage points (such as the Corniche des Crêtes and Cap Canaille) allowing spectacular

panorama A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...

s. A great number of hikers frequent the area, following numerous pre-marked trails. The cliffs are also used as training spots for rock climbers. However, this excessive use has posed problems of potential damage to this delicate microhabitat. Most of the calanques are also closed to the public during the summer (typically July through September) due to the risks of forest fire that often happen during the dry season. The best time to visit calanques is probably March through May, when temperatures are cool and, unlike autumn and winter, rain is rare. As no fresh water sources are available in the calanques, visitors are advised to carry large supplies of water, especially during the summer heat, to prevent

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water that disrupts metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds intake, often resulting from excessive sweating, health conditions, or inadequate consumption of water. Mild deh ...

. Boat tours are also available starting either from

, Cassis or

La Ciotat La Ciotat (; ; in Mistralian spelling ''La Ciéutat''; 'the City') is a Communes of France, commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southern France. It ...

, which can provide for some spectacular sightseeing. In April 2012, most of the calanques were declared a national park due to their uniqueness.

Cosquer Cave

The Cosquer Cave is an underwater

grotto A grotto or grot is a natural or artificial cave or covered recess. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high tide. Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden fea ...

in the Calanque de Morgiou, underwater, that was once inhabited during the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

when the sea level was much lower than today. Its walls are covered with paintings and engravings dating back to between 27,000 and 19,000 BC and depict many terrestrial animals such as

bison A bison (: bison) is a large bovine in the genus ''Bison'' (from Greek, meaning 'wild ox') within the tribe Bovini. Two extant taxon, extant and numerous extinction, extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American ...

ibex An ibex ( : ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa. T ...

, and

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

s as well as sea animals like seals and

auk Auks or alcids are birds of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. The alcid family includes the Uria, murres, guillemots, Aethia, auklets, puffins, and Brachyramphus, murrelets. The family contains 25 extant or recently extinct speci ...

s.Collina-Girard, J., 2004
''La transgression finiglaciaire, l’archéologie et les textes (exemples de la grotte Cosquer et du mythe de l’Atlantide)
Human records of recent geological evolution in the Mediterranean Basin-historical and archaeological evidence. CIESM Workshop Monographs. no. 24, page 63-70.

References

External links

* Cassis Tourist Office's web site
Calanques de cassis

Calanques photo at maps.google.com
{{Massif des Calanques Landforms of the Mediterranean Sea Karst