The Capu Tafunatu is a mountain in the department of

Haute-Corse Haute-Corse (; co, Corsica suprana , or ; en, Upper Corsica) is (as of 2022) an administrative department of France, consisting of the northern part of the island of Corsica. The corresponding departmental territorial collectivity merged wi ...

on the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

, France. It rises to an altitude of in the Niolo ''piève'' in the northwest of the island. Located in the Monte Cintu massif near the

Paglia Orba The Paglia Orba (pronounced ) is a mountain peak in the Monte Cinto massif in Corsica. It rises to an altitude of , between the valleys of the Golo (in the Niolo) and the Cavicchia (in the Filosorma). Relatively isolated, this peak, notable for ...

, it rises southeast of Manso on the edge of the commune of

Albertacce Albertacce (; in Corsican ''E Lupertacce'', pronounced ) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department in the Corsica region of France. Geography upright=2.4, center, Panorama of Albertacce Albertacce is a commune of ''Niolu'' a long-inaccessib ...

. Capu Tafunatu literally means "perforated head". The top of the mountain is pierced by an opening wide by , making it the largest natural arch in France.

Geology

Capu Tafunatu consists of alkaline

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...

with

ignimbrite Ignimbrite is a type of volcanic rock, consisting of hardened tuff. Ignimbrites form from the deposits of pyroclastic flows, which are a hot suspension of particles and gases flowing rapidly from a volcano, driven by being denser than the surrou ...

facies, an igneous rock of the Monte Cinto annular volcano-plutonic complex, formed in the

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleoz ...

. The formation of the "hole" is explained by tectonics. The inclined plane at the base of this cavity is an oblique fault which, intersecting the rocky blade of the summit, weakened it and caused it to collapse.

In popular culture

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (; 7 September 1707 – 16 April 1788) was a French naturalist, mathematician, cosmologist, and encyclopédiste. His works influenced the next two generations of naturalists, including two prominent Fr ...

(1707–1788), in ''Histoire et théorie de la terre'' (History and Theory of the Earth), hypothesizes that Corsica is a mountain peak of the sunken continent of

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

. It was at this time that this legend was told:

Access

Different routes allow the ascent to the "hole" of Capu Tafunatu, at about , from the refuge of Ciottulu a i Mori. All require great caution (risk of fatal falls) but remain practicable without special equipment for people in good physical condition and not prone to vertigo. The normal route "ranks at the upper limit of what non-climbers can face". It begins at the Moorish Pass and uses a system of low-sloping rocky outcrops (vires) that run on the east face of Capu Tafunatu: first to the south and then over whitish rocks, heading north to the plateau where the cavity opens. File:Capu Tafunatu, Corsica.jpg, Panoramic photo of Capu Tafunatu (east face, in the shade) and the Col des Maures (Moorish Pass), above the Ciottulu a i Mori refuge in the upper Golo Valley. One can distinguish in the wall the turns of the normal access route leading to the "hole".

Climbing

Access to the main summit of Capu Tafunatu, altitude , requires "PD (''peu difficile'') sup." climbing skills, a rate that indicates "small difficulties ..requiring the use of the rope" ). From the platform on the east face where the "hole" opens, a ledge crosses the north ridge, then returns to the west face towards a chimney (vertical fracture, listed II) which is climbed up to near the summit ridge, to finish with a short climb (vertical slab, grade III) to the summit. Several climbing routes rated “AD” (''Assez difficile'': Fairly difficult) to “TD" (''Très difficile'': Very difficult) climb the east and west faces. Their approach is respectively from the Col des Maures and the Fango valley.

Gallery

Paglia_Orba.jpg, Paglia Orba (center) and Capu Tafunatu (right) Capu-tafunatu.jpg, The arch of Capu Tafunatu seen from the Paglia Orba Vallée_du_fangu_à_travers_le_Tafunatu.jpg, The Fango Valley from the arch of Capu Tafunatu Capu-Tafunatu-(left).jpg, Capu Tafunatu (left) and Paglia Orba Paglia_Orba_Taffunatu.jpg, Capu Tafunatu to the right of Paglia Orba seen from

Galéria Galéria () is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. Geography Climate Galéria has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification ''Csa''). The average annual temperature in Galéria ...

Notes

Sources

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