The Devès is a vast

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

in the Velay mountains of the Massif Central, located in

Haute-Loire Haute-Loire (; or ''Naut Leir''; English: Upper Loire) is a landlocked department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Named after the Loire River, it is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche, Lozère, Canta ...

, forming a natural region of France. It reaches its highest point at Mont Devès at an altitude of 1,421 meters.

Toponomy

Devès is an

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 ...

term that refers to a "forbidden forest, protected," meaning it is not exploited.

Geography

Location

The Devès is bordered to the west by the upper

Allier Allier ( , , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region that borders Cher (department), Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire (department), Loire to the east, Pu ...

valley and the Margeride mountains, to the north by the Livradois mountains, to the northeast by the Meygal massif, and to the east by the upper

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

valley and the Vivarais mountains.

Geology

The Devès massif, which is more of a high plateau, is one of the three volcanic massifs of

Velay Velay () is a historical area of France situated in the east Haute-Loire ''Département in France, département'' and southeast of Massif central, Massif Central. History Julius Caesar mentioned the vellavi as the subordinate of the arverni. ...

, the other two being the Mézenc massif and the Meygal. It is the largest basalt plateau in the Massif Central. The first eruptions are dated to 6 million years ago, but most of the volcanic activity occurred between 3.5 and 0.6 million years ago, with two peaks at 1 and 2 million years ago. Garde Rauret

The surface of the plateau is covered with scoria cones of Strombolian origin. Some of these cones still retain their craters, similar to some

maar A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption (an explosion which occurs when groundwater comes into contact with hot lava or magma). A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow ...

craters, which are depressions occupied by spontaneous vegetation adapted to wet environments. The most emblematic of the plateau are Lac du Bouchet, the narces of La Sauvetat, and the Limagne marsh. The others are called "gardes." There are about 150 of them, forming either a chain of small forest-covered hills along a north–south axis or appearing as features in the middle of fields. Most have been cultivated at their base, leaving a forest cover (

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

s) at their summit or rocky outcrops.

Main summits

* Mont Devès, highest point of the massif at * Mont Recours, * Mont Tartas, * Mont Farnier, * Rang de la Garde, * Champ Vestri, * Mont Long, * La Durande, * Mont Maillon, * La Vesseyre, * Rocher de la Fagette, * Montchaud, * Montpignon, * Mont Burel, * Suc de Combret, * Côte Rousse, * Le Pouzat, * Montjus, * Suc de Miceselle, * La Garde de Tallobre, * La Garde des Ceyssoux, * Mont Briançon,

Climate

The climate is cold but relatively dry; the Mounts of Cantal and Margeride provide a sheltered position leading to reduced precipitation (about 850 mm/year on average). In winter, snow remains on the ground for several months, and the forests and pastures are swept by the " burle," the local name for the

blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

Fauna and flora

The Devès massif is characterized by a balanced landscape of grassland and cultivated systems. Its forest cover rate of 22% is lower than the average for the Massif Central due to the clearing of ancient forests over the past 150 years. The area has the highest number of plant species in the department, with particularly rich flora and the presence of rare plants such as '' Neslia paniculata'' subsp. ''thracica'', '' Camelina microcarpa'', and '' Ranunculus lingua'', which are critically endangered in Auvergne.

References

{{Portal, Mountains Subranges of the Massif Central Volcanic plateaus Plateaus of Europe