Massif des Trois-Évêchés ( oc, Massís dei Tres Eveschats, literally the
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
of the Three Bishoprics) is a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
in the
Provence Alps and Prealps
The Provence Alps and Prealps (''Alpes et Préalpes de Provence'' in French) are a mountain range in the south-western part of the Alps, located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (France). Provence Alps and Prealps encompass the south-western area o ...
in
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the wes ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
. Its name comes from the central summit of the massif, the Pic des Trois-Évêchés (so named because it marked the boundary between the dioceses of
Digne
Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côt ...
Senez
Senez is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.
Ecclesiastical history
Marcellus I, the first known bishop of Senez, attended the Council of Agde in 506 CE; nevertheless, Senez must have been an episcopal ...
) where there are ridges to the north, west and south. The highest peak is the Tête de l'Estrop, at .
Geography
The massif in the broadest sense extends from north to south between the Bes to the west, the
Ubaye
The Ubaye (; oc, Ubaia) is a river of southeastern France. It is long and flows through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. Its drainage basin is .Verdon Verdon may refer to:
People
* Verdon (surname)
Places
France
* Verdon, Dordogne, in the Dordogne ''département''
* Verdon, Marne, in the Marne ''département''
* Vinon-sur-Verdon, an old French town in the département of Var, Provence-Alpes- ...
to the east and the Asse (approximately) to the south. It is also crossed by the
Bléone
The Bléone (; oc, Blèuna) is a long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ''département'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .Vallon du Laverq.
It is surrounded to the north by the Massif du Parpaillon, east by the Massif du Pelat, south-east by the
Préalpes de Castellane
The French Prealps (french: Préalpes) are a group of subalpine mountain ranges of medium elevation located immediately west of the French Alps. They roughly stretch from Lake Geneva southwest to the rivers Isère and Drôme; east to a line ru ...
and finally to the south and to the west by the
Préalpes de Digne
The Digne Prealps () are a massif in the southern part of the French Prealps located in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
Geography
Location
The massif extends around Digne-les-Bains, between the Durance river and Serre-Ponçon l ...
(which some southern peaks, or even the whole massif, are sometimes attached, although significantly higher altitudes, and different orientation).
Grande Séolane
Grande means "large" or "great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to:
Places
*Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany
*Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas
*Grande-Rivière (disambiguation)
*Arroio ...
,
*Petite Séolane,
* Trois-Évêchés,
*Tête de Chabrière,
*Roche Close,
*Sommet du Caduc,
*Mourre-Gros,
*Montagne de la Blanche, : Bernardez, Neillère, l'Aiguillette
*Les Mées,
*Tête de la Sestrière,
*Tête Noire,
*Sangraure,
*Dormillouse,
*Sommet du Tromas,
*Autapie,
*Sommet de Denjuan,
*Gros Tapy,
*Grand Croix,
*
Montagne du Cheval Blanc
Montagne or Montagné may refer to:
People
* Camille Montagne (1784–1866), French military physician and botanist. The standard author abbreviation Mont. (of Montagne) is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a botanical na ...
,
The
Montagne de Cordœil
Montagne or Montagné may refer to:
People
* Camille Montagne (1784–1866), French military physician and botanist. The standard author abbreviation Mont. (of Montagne) is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a botanical na ...
, of a more modest size and elevation [], is completely isolated from the rest of the massif, the Verdon to the east and the Issole (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), Issole to the north and west.
Geology
The massif of the Trois-Évêchés consists of
sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particle ...
, mostly
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
s and marls, typical of the pre-Alps. The geological nature of the north of the massif relates to the
Ubaye Valley The Ubaye Valley is an area in the Alpes de Haute-Provence ''département'', in the French Alps, having approximately 7,700 residents. Its residents are called ''Ubayens''. Its principal town is the ''sous-préfecture'' of Barcelonnette.
350p ...
.
Plane crash
On 24 March 2015, Andreas Lubitz, co-pilot of
Germanwings Flight 9525
Germanwings Flight 9525 PDF of the English translation of the final report and thoriginal French version(which the BEA notes on PDF p. 2/110 of the English PDF is the primary work of reference) was a scheduled international passenger flight fr ...
, who was reported to have had mental health problems, deliberately crashed the plane into the massif, after he locked the Captain out of the cockpit.
Pra-Loup
Pra-Loup is a ski resort in France, at Uvernet-Fours in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, from the town of Barcelonnette.
Geography Ski area
The ski station has two separate base areas, 2 km apart:
* Pra-Loup 1600 - primary base area at above ...
canyoning
Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a type of mountaineering that involves travelling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include other outdoor activities such as walking, scrambling, climbi ...
descents of high and exceptional level: Male Vasudevan and Bussing.