The slate quarries of Barles

At the heart of a remarkable natural environment (Natura 2000), the Barles slate quarries bear witness to a particular geological situation, unique in the territory of the Haute-Provence Geopark.

It is here that from the end of the 250th century to the middle of the XNUMXth century, residents came to extract “slates” to cover their houses. These slates replaced thatch, before being themselves supplanted by sheet metal. They were extracted from Triassic claystones (around XNUMX million years old), their thin layers being due to the strong pressures experienced during the formation of the Alps. The cabin has been reconstructed with the original materials as close as possible to what it could have been at the time. There are still a few roofs which have preserved these slates in Barles (Saint-Pierre chapel in particular), Verdaches and Auzet.
The biodiversity of the sector is rich. Among the emblematic species, forest bats hide in beech trees or Scots pines.
From the slate quarry, a spectacular view looks north towards the pastoral mountains of Barles and Auzet.