The cave of Choranche, also called cave of Coufin-Chevaline, is located in the department of

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.Choranche Choranche (; oc, Chaurança) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Famous is . The grottoes were discovered end the 19th Century and hide a unique sight of fine stalactites. Population See also *Communes of the Isère ...

in the

Vercors Regional Natural Park The Vercors Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional du Vercors'') is a protected area of forested mountains in the Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of southeastern France. Geography Set upon a limestone plateau south of Gre ...

and in the

Vercors Massif The Vercors Massif is a Mountain range, range in France consisting of rugged plateaus and mountains straddling the ''département in France, départements'' of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, from wh ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Located at the edge of the massif, its road access is either via the A49 Grenoble - Valence motorway, or by a road entering the massif, near Grenoble. The entrance to the cave is at the foot of the

cliffs In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

s of Presles, forming a natural cirque bordering the Coulmes plateau in the Bourne gorge. In November 2014, the Choranche cave obtained the "Quality tourism" mark.

History

Coufin Cave

Oscar Decombaz, on , explored up to the wet vault. In 1949, the defusing of the latter allowed Roger Pénelon and Sage to access Gruyère. In 1954, the Cyclops group went up the Mat waterfall () and stops at the foot of the large waterfall. File:Grottes de Choranche 1924 ou ante.tiff,

Chevaline Cave

In 1943, Roger Pénelon, André Bourgin, Sage and Gaché arrived at the cathedral. The speleologists of Grenoble of the CAF resumed explorations in 1960; they go up the river to the Shower. In 1966 the caving club of La Tronche and the Caving Club of the Seine created the junction between the two cavities. The Speleo Group of

Valence Valence or valency may refer to: Science * Valence (chemistry), a measure of an element's combining power with other atoms * Degree (graph theory), also called the valency of a vertex in graph theory * Valency (linguistics), aspect of verbs rel ...

has continued explorations since 1968. The known network develops meters for a positive height difference of on 1 January 1997. In 2009 the known development is .

Description

Like all

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

ics

cavities Cavity may refer to: Biology and healthcare *Body cavity, a fluid-filled space in many animals where organs typically develop **Gastrovascular cavity, the primary organ of digestion and circulation in cnidarians and flatworms *Dental cavity or too ...

, the

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

Choranche Choranche (; oc, Chaurança) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Famous is . The grottoes were discovered end the 19th Century and hide a unique sight of fine stalactites. Population See also *Communes of the Isère ...

was dug by water (

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

s hydraulics and hydrochemicals). The active networks are surmounted by large fossil galleries. It contains

speleothem A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on ...

s in

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

of varied shapes, particularly fistuloses, some of which reach a length of 3 meters. In addition to these concretionss, the cave is crossed by the Serpentine,

underground river A subterranean river is a river that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground surface – one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth. It is distinct from an aquifer, which may flow like a river but is contained within a per ...

forming rimstones and an underground lake from which the

Karst spring A karst spring or karstic spring is a spring (outflow of groundwater) that is part of a karst hydrological system. Description Because of their often conical or inverted bowl shape, karst springs are also known in German-speaking lands as a ''Top ...

flows in

cascade Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science *Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls * Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex) * Cascade (grape), a type of fruit * Bioc ...

in the "

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

of Choranche". The origin of the underground river is to be found in the Coulmes massif.

Species conservation

The Choranche cave constitutes one of the two sites in France where resides (in captivity) the olm, species of blind

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

adapted to

ic caves. Originally from the caves of the Dinaric Alps of the western

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, this species was brought to Choranche as well as to the Clamouse cave as part of a research and project to protect the species.

Notes

References

Works cited

* {{cite book , ref={{harvid, Caillault ''et al.'', 1997 , language=fr , author1=Serge Caillault , author2=Dominique Haffner , author3=Thierry Krattinger , title=Spéléo sportive dans le Vercors , location=Aix en Provence , publisher=Edisud , volume=1 , date= April 1997 , isbn=2-85744-897-X , issn=0764-2520 Cave geology Isère basin Caves of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes