The Canyonlands of France, Part 1: The Var River Winds through the Daluis Gorge (Gorges de Daluis), Maritime Alps

This is one of the most breathtaking geologic locales I've come across. It's found in a region of tight mountain passes, hilltop-fortress towns, and cliff-clinging roads tunneled in places through bedrock.

Some promotional websites try to play up this locale by stating it'll remind tourists (presumably from one particular country) of the splendors of the American Southwest. But to me that's mealy-mouthed and demeaning. The Daluis Gorge is part and parcel of the geology of la belle France, and that is more than enough to commend it to the rest of the world.

As far as this transfer from an old color slide goes, I rather like its impressionistic texture—most suitable for the nation that was the birthplace of Impressionism (and so much else of worth in the world of art).

The steep walls are made of striking red Permian-period rock described by French geologists as pelite. This terminology is ambiguous; the stone here is fossiliferous and therefore apparently sedimentary. Nowadays experts usually confine the label "pelite" to a metamorphosed variety derived from fine-grained sedimentary types.

For more on the Permian redbed canyons of the Daluis-Cians area, see the other photos and descriptions of this series, in my Natural History: France album.

Taken in: France / Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur / Arrondissement de Nice / Daluis (show map)

Taken on: January 1, 1976

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Camera: MAKER NAME 96660, ISO 50 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	MAKER NAME 96660
ISO:	50
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Metering Mode:	Average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
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