The Haute Provence UNESCO Geopark
Presentation
Certified by UNESCO, the Global Geoparks Network brings together regions offering different heritages: geological, natural, material and intangible.
The Haute Provence Geopark was created in 2000 and was the model for the development of 120 Geoparks worldwide. It covers 60 municipalities in the Alpes de Haute Provence department.
It gathers natural and geological sites and offers a journey through over 300 million years of Earth’s history. Sites like the ammonites slab are exceptional, even unique in the world.
The Haute Provence Geopark is also rich in its intangible heritage that can be discovered through know how, craftsmanship and local products. It contributes to the local economic development. Some restaurants, accommodations, local producers and services are certified by the Haute Provence Geopark and are committed to upholding this heritage and its values.
Promenade Museum
A park in the shade, waterfalls, gardens, art work, 300 million years of geological history told by fossils, Mediterranean and tropical aquariums, exhibitions and an art center (CAIRN).
Geological sites
The Ammonite Slab
The most emblematic site of the Haute Provence Geopark.
The 320 m² Ammonite Slab boasts over 1,550 fossils, the biggest being over 70 cm!
This species allows us to establish that the slab is around 200 million years old.
Ichthyosaur
Reptile fossil, 90 million years old.
Location : La Robine
Bird Footprints
20 million years ago, the region of Digne les Bains was a sea basin. Birds walked on the beaches’ wet sand, leaving footprints that were later fossilized.
Sea currents that sculpted the seabed 130 million years ago were also fossilized.
Barles Canyons
After several million years of erosion, the Barles Canyons offer amazing landscapes.
