The Pic de Bugarach () or Pech de Bugarach () (''puèg de Bugarag'' in
Occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
, i.e. "Peak of Bugarag") is the highest summit (1230 m) in the
Corbières Massif in the French ''
Midi
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
''.
The western part of the mountain is located on the territory of the commune of
Bugarach. Its eastern part is on the territory of
Camps-sur-l'Agly
Camps-sur-l'Agly ( Languedocien: ''Camps d’Aglin'') is a commune in the Aude department in southern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of ov ...
.
The geology of the Pic de Bugarach is striking. Its top layer is an
overthrust
A thrust fault is a break in the Earth's crust, across which older rocks are pushed above younger rocks.
Thrust geometry and nomenclature
Reverse faults
A thrust fault is a type of reverse fault that has a dip of 45 degrees or less.
If ...
from the
Iberian plate and is older than the bottom ones. This has given rise to its description as an "upside-down mountain".
It is possible to climb up the Bugarach: a classical route called "Voie de la fenêtre" because of a big hole in a cliff, climbs the South face. One may go down via the easiest route, North, and join the "Col de Linas". Climbing still requires a good physical condition, and the mountain has claimed the life of at least one unprepared tourist.
Esoterics
Due to the mountain's unusual geology, a number of
New Agers (called "
esoterics
Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...
" by local residents) believed that the mountain contained aliens living in a spacecraft. This group also believed that the upcoming end to the
Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is a non-repeating, vigesimal (base 20) and octodecimal (base 18) calendar used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya. For this reason, it is often known as the May ...
would result in some form of
apocalypse. They believed that on 21 December 2012, the aliens supposedly living in the mountain would emerge to save them.
As a result, some members of the group had taken to living on or near the mountain, and ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' reported that up to 100,000 people might have been planning a trip prior to the believed apocalypse date.
[ The mayor of the nearest town, Bugarach, said that over 20,000 visitors had arrived between January and July 2011, a significant increase over previous years. He also reported that a number of groups have been taking part in what he called strange rituals.]mass suicide
Mass suicide is a form of suicide, occurring when a group of people simultaneously kill themselves.
Overview
Mass suicide sometimes occurs in religious settings. In war, defeated groups may resort to mass suicide rather than being captured. Su ...
or other significant events.[ French police then blocked access to the mountain.]
References
Landforms of Aude
Apocalypticism
Mountains of Occitania (administrative region)
{{Aude-geo-stub