Bauges

The Wallows are a semi-highland massif of limestone in the northern French Alps. The massif of the Wallows, whose highest peak, the Pointe d' Arcalod 2,217 m above sea level. M. forms, located in the departments of Savoie and Haute -Savoie. It is allocated geographically the French Calcareous Alps ( subalpine Chaînes Septentrionales ). The very sparsely populated mountain area is located in the Regional Natural Park of the Bauges (French Parc naturel régional du Massif des Bauges ).

Location

The bauges located in southeastern France in the Rhône-Alpes region, in the triangle between the cities of Annecy, Chambéry and Albertville. Thanks to wide hollows that were created by the Ice Age glaciers, they are clearly distinguished from the surrounding mountain ranges. To the west, the massif of the bauges is limited by the Molassesenke of Albanais and through the southern part of the Lac du Bourget. In the southwest of the Talfurche from Chambery separates the massif of the Chartreuse. The wide Isèretal and the valley of its tributary Arly form the natural boundary of the predominantly crystalline embossed high Alps in the south-east and east. In the northeast of the Alpine rim bauges Lac d' Annecy and the Valley of the chaise are ( in the catchment area of the Isère ), which are interconnected by a Talwasserscheide. This Talfurche separates the bauges from northeast adjacent massif of the Bornes.

Geography and surface shape

The mountain complex of bauges shows an area of ​​about 30 km in the southwest-northeast direction with a width of 20 to a maximum of 25 km. The relief is characterized by a series of mountain ranges and intervening hollows and valleys that run parallel almost in a north-south direction. Only in the far east are found due to the stronger folding nested mountain ranges. Striking are the many partially vertically sloping, steep rock walls. From west to east, the peak height decreases more or less continuously. While the western chain has heights 1500-1700 m, exceeding the peak in the center and east of the massif often the 2,000 - m limit. The highest elevation is the Pointe d' Arcalod 2,217 m above sea level. M. Other important peaks are:

• Pointe de la Sambuy, 2,198 m
• Mont Pécloz 2,197 m
• Mont Trélod, 2,181 m
• Dent de Cons, 2,064 m
• Mont Colombier, 2,043 m
• Dent d' Arclusaz, 2,040 m
• Mont Margériaz, 1,845 m
• Roc the Boeuf, 1,774 m
• Cret de Chatillon, 1,699 m
• Nivolet, 1,547 m
• Mont Revard, 1,537 m

Main rivers of bauges is the Chéran, a left tributary of the Fier. It originates in the area of ​​Pointe d' Arcalod and flows through the mountain range from the southeast to the northwest in a relatively wide valley transverse to the chain structure of the mountain. He takes from the south and north on several short tributaries, which drain the longitudinal valleys and troughs. Below Lescheraines enters the Chéran in the cluse de Bange a, a deep ravine, which the western edge chain ( Mont Revard, Semnoz ) passes through before it reaches the basin of the Albanais. The northern part of the Wallows is drained to the Lac d' Annecy, the south-west to the Lac du Bourget. Counter southeast to Isèretal the solid decreases with a steep slope; there are no valleys, but only for a short gullies that belong to the catchment area of ​​the Isère.

Geology

In geological terms, the structure bauges form a fold mountain at the edge of the Western Alps. They consist of a powerful layer of Mesozoic sediments that were deposited in the ocean of Tethys. The layer sequence extends from the lower Jurassic period ( Lias, before about 200 million years ago ) to the Late Cretaceous ( 65 million years ). During this long period of time numerous clayey and marly limestone layers and layers were sedimented. While the latter point more to conditions in a warm shallow sea, the marly layers mainly from periods with cooler water and at least partially originate deep marine conditions ( sediments were deposited in the deep sea). It lay in the early Tertiary sands, Nummulithenkalke and particularly in the western part reddish marl (so-called Molasse rouge ).

In the course of the Tertiary these sedimentary layers were raised in the formation of the Alps above sea level and connected to form a fold mountain anticlines and synclines with characteristic. From this time began the erosion and transported over the detritus in the foothills of the Alps ( the north-west adjacent to the bauges Molasse Basin ). The various uplift and reduction processes led to the formation of numerous faults, fault lines and thrust faults. During the ice ages the glaciers made ​​an important contribution in the modeling of the relief.

From stratigraphic and tectonic overview of the massif of the Wallows ( occidentales bauges ) into a western and an eastern part ( bauges orientales ) is divided. The border between the two parts forms a line that runs south of Saint- Jorioz at Lac d' Annecy over the Col de Leschaux and Chéran up in the valley of Aillon.

The bauges occidentales consist of the chain of Mont Revard and Semnoz and the east of the former lying Mont Margériaz. The Mont Revard, together with the Semnoz an anticline, which is pushed onto westbound Molassesedimente. The two ridges are separated by the gorge cluse de Bange. The pending in the comb area of ​​this largely intact rock anticline is composed of mighty limestone beds of Urgonian (Central chalk). Also on Mont Margériaz the Urgonienkalke are relief -forming. In the valley east of these ridges are found molasse and marls of the Lower Tertiary.

The bauges orientales show a rapid succession of anticlines and synclines. Noteworthy is the fact that here the Antiklinalfalten over time were significantly stronger than the eroded Synklinalfalten. That's why today different mountains are formed as so-called Synklinalberge while lead valleys or depressions often along anticlines. Examples of Synklinalberge are the Mont Trélod, the Pointe d' Arcalod, the Pointe de la Sambuy and the Dent d' Arclusaz. Again, the summit Urgonkalke are forming. However, come the farther east you go, on the slopes and bedrock in the valleys sediment layers from the Lower Cretaceous and the Jurassic period (especially the Tithonkalke ) to light. On the southeast and east between Saint -Pierre- d'Albigny and Albertville also layers of the Lias ( Lower Jurassic ) are open on the lower slopes.

Natural and cultural landscape

The Massif of bauges is sparsely populated. Larger cities and villages are in the valley furrows on the edge of the Wallows, namely Annecy, Aix -les- Bains, Chambéry, Albertville Ugine, and Faverges. In the valleys and hollows of bauges there are several scattered settlements and numerous individual farms. However, no municipality has more than 1,000 inhabitants. One of the main towns in the bauges include Lescheraines, Le Châtelard, École and Aillon- le -Jeune.

The people who call themselves Les Baujus, live mainly of dairy farming and animal husbandry, besides also the cheese production and the timber industry have an important meaning. In the shallower hollows extend meadows and pastures, while the slopes are predominantly covered forest. The tree line is at about 1,800 m above sea level. M., also there are alpine meadows.

Tourism

The mountains of the bauges suitable for winter sports and for summer hiking or simply relaxing in the natural landscape. Ski resorts with ski - and chairlifts are:

• Le Revard ( about 1,500 m above sea level. M. ), which established itself in 1905 as one of the first ski resorts in France, now also a center for Nordic skiing
• Aillons - Margériaz ( 1000-1800 m above sea level. M. ), consisting of two ski stations which are under common management today, namely Margériaz on the eastern slopes of Mont Margériaz and Aillon -le- Jeune on the northern slope of Mont Pelat.
• Le Semnoz ( 1350-1700 m above sea level. M. )
• Seythenex -Le Sambuy ( 1,200 to 1,800 m above sea level. M. ), south of Faverges on the northern slope of the Pointe de la Sambuy.

Nature Park

In December 1995, the Regional Natural Park of the Bauges was created to provide the rich flora and fauna of the mountain area under protection. The Regional Natural Park covers an area of 810 km ².