Grésivaudan

The Grésivaudan ( Vallée du Grésivaudan, old spelling: Graisivaudan ) is mainly located in the department of Isère; it is a valley of the French Alps, and includes portions of the lower reaches of the river Isère.

Usually, called Grésivaudan the alluvial plain of the Isère, between Grenoble and the mouth of the Arc. Some geologists and geographers see the Grésivaudan rather than the alluvial plain between Tullins (below Grenoble) and Albertville. One speaks therefore also from the Bas- Grésivaudan ( between Tullins et Grenoble ) and the skin - Grésivaudan ( between Grenoble and Albertville ).

The Grésivaudan marks the border between the French Alps, which consist mainly of limestone massifs ( bauges, Chartreuse and Vercors ), and the actual Alps, which consist primarily of granite and metamorphic rocks (Vanoise massif, Belle Donne ). It is part of the Alpine furrow ( " Sillon Alpine" ), a group of valleys and depressions in SSW - North - orientation, and includes the lower reaches of the Drac, the upper Grésivaudan, the valley of Arly and the upper reaches of the Arve and partly the valley Chamonix. Geologically, you can add include the upper reaches of the Rhone in Switzerland ( Canton of Valais). The Sillon alpine thus extends over the Isère, Savoie and Haute -Savoie.

The most important places of Grésivaudan are (from north to south): Albertville, Montmélian, Pontcharra, the agglomeration of Grenoble and Moirans.

The Grésivaudan is a glaciated valley. His hollow profile was formed by glacial and post-glacial influences. The excavation of the valley since the Ice Age, went in following stages in front of him:

  • The Isèregletscher formed in the valley as a result of climatic cooling.
  • It extended as far as Tullins down from, was from the Rhône glacier, which spread to the north of the department of Isère of the Lyons level.
  • Over thousands of years eroded the base and the side walls of the valley, which thus took a U-profile.
  • At the same time, the ice, the drain was hampered by the Voreppe Gorge and the Rhône glacier dammed. In Grenoble, the ice was about 1600 feet thick.
  • Since the beginning of the current warm period about 10,000 years ago, the Isèregletscher moved gradually back and left a large lake similar to the large lakes in Italy (Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Lugano ), which completely filled the Isèretal between Tullins and Albertville.
  • The rivers eroded the surrounding mountains, the rocks were deposited in this lake. After the lake was filled with stones, the present situation arose: a fringed by steep walls plane whose level corresponds to the former water level.

The Grésivaudan was the cradle of hydropower, which was to become the main drive of the industrial development of the valley: one finds at Lancey in the town of Villard- Bonnot remains first buildings of Aristide Bergès from the year 1869.

45.3166666666675.95Koordinaten: 45 ° 19 '0 " N, 5 ° 57' 0" E

  • Tal in Europe
  • Landscape in France
  • Valley in France
  • Geography (Rhône- Alpes)
  • Isère
Arc (Savoie) Chartreuse Mountains Belledonne
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