The Verdon Gorge runs about 25 kilometers along the border between the Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departments in southeastern France, cut as much as 700 meters deep, with widths ranging from 6 to 100 meters at river level and up to 1,500 meters across at the rim. It is carved through thick limestone laid down in the Triassic period and built up further by coral growth during the Jurassic, then uplifted in the Cretaceous before the Verdon River began scouring the rock in earnest, especially during the glacial periods of the Quaternary, when meltwater flows through the gorge have been estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 cubic meters per second at peak. That sustained river erosion through fractured limestone over millions of years produced the narrow, steep-walled gorge visible today. This entity documents Verdon Gorge specifically as a geological formation shaped by river erosion through marine limestone.
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Protected StatusLocally or Regionally Protected 1 Protected Status Connections
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Source Verdon Gorge (Wikipedia)
Source Verdon Gorge (Wikipedia)
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Source Wikidata: Verdon Gorge
Sources
1. UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, World Database on Protected Areas: World Database on Protected Areas record: Verdon
UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, World Database on Protected AreasWDPA record, field desig_engQuote, WDPA record, field desig_eng
"desig_eng": "Regional Nature Park"
2. UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, World Database on Protected Areas: World Database on Protected Areas record: Grand canyon du Verdon - plateau de la Palud
UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, World Database on Protected AreasWDPA record, field desig_engQuote, WDPA record, field desig_eng
"desig_eng": "Special Areas of Conservation (Habitats Directive)"
Wikidata: Verdon Gorge
Wikidata Q687057, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Verdon Gorge (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Limestone, Lead paragraph
The limestone walls, which are several hundreds of metres high, attract many rock climbers.
Associated With: Triassic, Article text, age Triassic
During the Triassic period, the Provence subsided and was covered by the sea, leaving thick layers of various limestone deposits.
Associated With: Limestone, Article text, rock Limestone
During the Triassic period, the Provence subsided and was covered by the sea, leaving thick layers of various limestone deposits.
Associated With: Jurassic, Article text, age Jurassic
Several million years later, with the arrival of the Jurassic period, the area was covered by a warm shallow sea, which allowed the growth of various corals.
Associated With: Cretaceous, Article text, age Cretaceous
Several million years later, with the arrival of the Jurassic period, the area was covered by a warm shallow sea, which allowed the growth of various corals. The Cretaceous period saw what is now Basse Provence being raised and the sea reaching the current location of the Alps, which were themselves erected during the tertiary era.
In Group: Gorges and Ravines, Lead paragraph
The Verdon Gorge (French: Gorges du Verdon; Occitan: Gòrja de Verdon) is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France.
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