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The Dent de Crolles () is a
karstic Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...
mountain (2,062 m) of the
Chartreuse Mountains The Chartreuse Mountains ( ) are a mountain range in southeastern France, stretching from the city of Grenoble in the south to the Lac du Bourget in the north. They are part of the French Prealps, which continue as the Bauges to the north and ...
range, north east of
Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
,
Isère Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.
, France. The mountain has a characteristic "tooth-like" profile; the French word ''dent'' means "tooth". ''de Crolles'' is derived from the town of
Crolles Crolles () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is located in the Isère valley, 20 km northeast of Grenoble, upstream on the river Isère. It has given its name to the Dent de Crolles mountain (2,062 m), whic ...
, located next to the peak. The Dent de Crolles is easily recognizable from the Isère Valley (Grésivaudan) near Grenoble.


Geography

The Dent de Crolles is a
karstic Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...
mountain (2,062 m) of the
Chartreuse Mountains The Chartreuse Mountains ( ) are a mountain range in southeastern France, stretching from the city of Grenoble in the south to the Lac du Bourget in the north. They are part of the French Prealps, which continue as the Bauges to the north and ...
range, north east of
Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
,
Isère Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.
, France. The French word "dent" means tooth and "de Crolles" is derived from the town of
Crolles Crolles () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is located in the Isère valley, 20 km northeast of Grenoble, upstream on the river Isère. It has given its name to the Dent de Crolles mountain (2,062 m), whic ...
, located next to the mountain. It is easily recognizable from the Isère valley (Grésivaudan) in the Grenoble area.


Cave system

The réseau de la Dent de Crolles, which lies beneath the summit plateau, is one of the most complex and longest
cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...
systems in Europe, and is considered to be one of the birth places of modern
caving Caving, also known as spelunking (United States and Canada) and potholing (United Kingdom and Ireland), is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is the scientific ...
. Its first detailed exploration was during World War II by a small team of French cavers which included Pierre Chevalier, Fernand Petzl, and Charles Petit-Didier. Their explorations saw it become the deepest cave in the world at the time with a depth of . The lack of available equipment during the war forced the team to develop their own equipment, leading to technical innovation. The first use of the
single rope technique The single-rope techniques (SRT) are a set of methods used to descend and ascend on the same single rope. Single-rope techniques are used in caving, potholing, rock climbing, canyoning, roped access for building maintenance, and by arborists for ...
with prusik and mechanical rope-ascenders (Henri Brenot's "monkeys", first used by Chevalier and Brenot in a cave in 1934) can be directly associated with its exploration. Since 1946, the cave has undergone intense and continuous exploration. As of 2023, eighteen separate entrances have been discovered. The highest is the Gouffre Bob Vouay at an altitude of located close to the summit, and the lowest is the main resurgence, the Grotte du Guiers Mort at an altitude of , giving a depth of . It is known to include more than of passages. The cave system is popular for the various through trips that the various entrances allow.


Gallery

Image:Biviers.JPG, Dent de Crolles shot from Biviers. Image:Dent_de_Crolles_from_Biviers.jpg, Dent de Crolles taken from Biviers. File:Méandre dans la traversée gouffre Bob Vouay - Grotte Chevalier.jpg, A passage in the Gouffre Bob Vouay - Grotte Chevalier traverse. Image:La Dent de Crolles 2.JPG, The Dent de Crolles taken from the summit of Chamechaude (south-west). File:Carte Dent de Crolles.svg, Map of the Dent de Crolles. File:Entrée du gouffre Bob Vouay.jpg, The entrance of the Bob Vouay pothole, the highest entry of the Dent de Crolles network. Image:Dent de Crolles depuis le col du Coq.JPG, The Dent de Crolles, the col and the habert des Ayes from the col du Coq (south-west). File:La grotte Chevalier vue de l'intérieur.jpg, The Chevalier cave from the inside. Image:Les Lances de Malissard depuis la Dent de Crolles.JPG, From the summit, a panorama of the Chartreuse massif: the Lances de Malissard overhanging the col de Bellefond. Image:Poussez_pas_derriere.jpg, Close up on Dent de Crolles and the ''Poussez Pas Derrière'' ascent route. File:Grotte du Guiers Mort.jpg, Entrance to the cave of Guiers Mort, the
karst spring A karst spring or karstic spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring (exsurgence, outflow of groundwater) that is part of a karst hydrological system. Description Because of their often conical or inverted bowl shape, karst springs are also known i ...
of the Dent de Crolles network. File:Coupe de la Dent de Crolles au niveau de la Grotte Chevalier.jpg, Cross section of the Dent de Crolles at the Chevalier cave. File:Puits dans la Dent de Crolles.jpg, Pitch into the Dent de Crolles. File:Le gouffre Bob Vouay.jpg, The Bob Vouay pothole. File:Lapiaz de la Dent de Crolles DSC 0161.jpg, Limestone pavement of la Dent de Crolles. File:Grotte Chevalier.jpg, Entrance to the cave Chevalier. File:Grotte Annette Bouchacourt.jpg, Entrance to the cave Annette. File:Le P 40.jpg, The P40. File:La dent de crolles souterraine.2 (2).jpg, On the cross-section are represented the main crossings: in light green Glaz-Annette, in dark green Glaz-Chevalier, in blue P40-Glaz, in orange Glaz-Guiers Mort, in blue Glaz-Guiers Mort by the river, in yellow Thérése-Guiers, in red Cartusiens-Guiers, in purple Pulpite Irreversible-Glaz. Other crossings can be made: Bob Vouay-Glaz or Guiers but they are not coloured. File:Grottes de la face Est de la dent de Crolles. (2).jpg, Caves of the East face: Grotte Annette, grotte Chevalier, Maxi Méga Marmotte, le Sureau, l'Entrée des Artistes, les Excités, le Balcon, le nid de Choucas, grotte Petzl, la grotte des Montagnards et la grotte du Jibé. File:Grotte Petzl.jpg, Cave Petzl separated by a boulder choke from the network of the Dent de Crolles. File:Entrée du Trou du Glaz.jpg, Entrance of Trou du Glaz. File:Gouffre de la Pulpite.jpg, The pothole of Pulpite. File:Gouffre Thérése.jpg, Therese's cave.


Bibliography (in French)

* ''La Dent de Crolles et son réseau souterrain'', Comité départemental de spéléologie de l'Isère, 1997, :


Bibliography (in English)

* ''Système de grottes de la Dent de Crolles, France'' in Encyclopedia of Cave and Karst Science (pp.283-285) of John Gunn :


References (in French)


Site géologique


: informations sur le site d' escalade du Luisset.
escalade/ski/randonnée à la Dent de Crolles sur c2c

Nouvelles topos de la dent de Crolles
Spéléo Secours Isère, 4 janvier 2015.


References

{{Authority control Mountains of Isère Mountains of the Alps Two-thousanders of France Caves of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes