Distance 3.5km
Elevation 140m
Duration 1 hours 30/XNUMX
Difficulty Easy
A loop starting from the Promenade Museum passing through the Plâtrières, the Dalle aux ammonites and returning by the gentle route. More than 1500 ammonite and nautilus fossils are grouped together on an area of 320m². Please note that the visit to the museum is subject to a fee.
Description
To understand the emergence of this seabed, we must return to the “Lias” (Lower Jurassic). At this time, our region is literally underwater, the marine space is deepening and expanding through ocean expansion. The sea is then teeming with life and marine animals are abundant.
The ammonite slab, as well as nearby sites, bear witness to the early stages of the development of the Alpine chain and what life was like in this ocean before the rise of the Alps. They allow us to understand the environment and the conditions that reigned at the time of these seabeds.
Today we can observe more than 1500 ammonites of all sizes on this “ammonite slab”, the largest are up to 70 cm in diameter!
The very good preservation of the shells again provides evidence of the marine activity of the time. Their scientific name, coroniceras multicostatum, allows the slab to be dated to around 200 million years ago.
Type : Marked loop
Distance : 3.5km
Elevation : 140m
Duration 1h30
Difficulty : Easy
Max altitude : 719m
Marking details
Yellow (PR) - White/Red (GR)
Guidebook references
Alpes de Haute Provence Hiking Map 21 hiking trails in Pays Dignois On sale at the Digne les Bains and Pays Dignois Tourist Office