Misplaced Pages

#311688

31-581: It is named after a spring, the Fontaine de Vaucluse , one of the largest karst springs in the world. The name Vaucluse itself derives from the Latin Vallis Clausa ("closed valley") as the valley ends in a cliff face from which the spring emanates. Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône , Drôme and Basses-Alpes, later renamed Alpes-de-Haute-Provence . The then rural department was, like

62-854: A karst aquifer , in which the water circulates along the discontinuities until it meets a barrier of limestone and clay . The spring, which feeds the River Sorgue , is the only exit point of a 1,100-square-kilometre (420 sq mi) underground basin, which captures waters from Mont Ventoux , the Vaucluse Mountains , the Albion Plateau and the Lure Mountain . The water of this exsurgence contains an average of 200 milligrams per litre (7.2 × 10  lb/cu in) of calcium carbonate , and has an annual flow of about 700,000,000 cubic metres (2.5 × 10  cu ft), so

93-564: A meadow strewn with supernatural flowers. The nymph showed seven diamonds to the minstrel. By lifting one of them, she made a powerful jet of water gush out. "Here," she said, "is the secret of the spring of which I am the guardian. To make it swell I remove the diamonds. With the seventh the water reaches the fig tree, which drinks only once a year." She disappeared while waking Basil. The first dive in heavy diving gear took place in 1879 when Nello Ottonelli ventured down to 23 metres (75 ft). Dr. Henri Louis Joseph Ayme organized exploration of

124-826: A sink or as a source of fresh water. It is a type of sinkhole . A Vauclusian spring is a spring that originates from a shaft or a cave system, with the water surging upwards under relatively high pressure. It is named after the Fontaine de Vaucluse in southern France. Submarine karst springs, also known as vruljas , occur worldwide, and are most numerous in shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea . They can be considered to be karst springs which have become submerged by rising sea levels . For intermittent or rhythmic springs see below. They are part of another type of classification, which differentiates between perennial (with continuous flow), rhythmic , and temporary springs. A main feature of karst springs

155-512: A spring and not a fountain. The Fontaine de Vaucluse was formed after the Messinian salinity crisis , during the latter part of the Messinian age of the Miocene epoch, from 5.96 to 5.33 Ma (million years ago), which caused the depth of the exsurgence. Above the spring there is a 230-metre (750 ft)-high limestone cliff with innumerable breaks and faults. This acts as a reservoir,

186-496: A virtual tour was created by the photographer Christoph Gerigk in collaboration with the Speleological Society of Fontaine de Vaucluse (SSFV) from 360° spherical panoramic views. Today, the joint efforts of geologists, hydrogeologists , hydrochemists and speleologists have made it possible to gain a better understanding of the functioning of this karst spring. Its catchment receives waters from Mont Ventoux,

217-399: Is also known for its karst , including the karst spring Fontaine de Vaucluse after which "Vauclusian Risings" are named. The most populous commune is Avignon , the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 6 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants: Population development since 1801: Following the 2021 departmental election , Dominique Santoni of The Republicans was elected President of

248-581: Is reflected in names such as Aachtopf (the source of the Radolfzeller Aach ) or Blautopf (the source of the Blau river in Blaubeuren ). Karst springs often have a very high yield or discharge rate , because they are often fed by underground drainage from a large catchment basin . Because the springs are usually the terminus of a cave drainage system at the place where a river cave reaches

279-474: Is that water is rapidly transported by caverns, so that there is minimal filtering of the water and little separation of different sediments. Groundwater emerges at the spring within a few days from precipitation. Storms, snowmelt, and general seasonal changes in rainfall have a very noticeable and rapid effect on karst springs. Many karst springs dry up during the driest part of the year, and are thus known as intermittent springs . Still others are dry most of

310-519: Is the Hungerbrunnen in the parish of Heuchlingen near Gerstetten . The properties of karst springs make them unsuitable for the supply of drinking water . Their uneven flow rate does not support a steady rate of consumption, especially in summer when there is lower discharge but higher demand. In addition, poor filtering and high hardness mean that the water quality is poor. The French Realist painter Gustave Courbet (1819–1877) painted

341-529: Is the largest spring in France by volume of water released, and ranks fifth among the world's largest springs. Karst spring A karst spring or karstic spring is a spring (exsurgence, outflow of groundwater ) that is part of a karst hydrological system. Because of their often conical or inverted bowl shape, karst springs are also known in German-speaking lands as a Topf ("pot") which

SECTION 10

#1732764904312

372-737: The 2022 legislative election , Vaucluse elected the following representatives to the National Assembly: During the 2017 legislative election , Vaucluse elected the following representatives to the National Assembly : *On 21 July 2017, Brune Poirson resigned from office to join the Second Philippe government as Secretary of State to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition . She

403-728: The Monts de Vaucluse and the Luberon . The northern part of the department, the Canton of Valréas , forms an enclave within the department Drôme . Fruit and vegetables are cultivated in great quantities in the lower-lying parts of the department, on one of the most fertile plains in Southern France . The Vaucluse department has a rather large exclave within the Drôme department, the canton of Valréas ( Enclave des Papes ). Vaucluse

434-532: The Vache d'Or , the site of an ancient pastoral religion celebrating the strength and form of water and stone. On the trail, we can see the Traou dou Couloubre , symbol of the fight of Saint Veranus against the ancient religions. This legend recounts the story of a minstrel, Basil, who fell asleep on the way to the spring and saw a nymph appear. She led him to the edge of the spring, which opened to let them descend to

465-419: The catchment , permanent reserves could reach 150,000,000 cubic metres (5.3 × 10  cu ft). Over the course of a decade, the annual flow varies between 630,000,000 and 700,000,000 cubic metres (2.2 × 10 and 2.5 × 10  cu ft). With an average of 21 cubic metres (740 cu ft) per second, it yields seven times more than all the drinking water distributed in the department of Vaucluse. It

496-704: The 1st century BC to the middle of the 5th century AD. Fontaine de Vaucluse inspired many geomyths . A legend tells that Saint Veranus , bishop of Cavaillon, rid the Sorgue of a horrible Drac , a devil or dragon , the Coulobre . The Coulobre, whose name could be derived from the Latin word coluber (snake), was a winged creature who lived in the Fontaine de Vaucluse. According to legend, she coupled with dragons who then abandoned her, forcing her to raise on her own

527-676: The Departmental Council . She succeeded Maurice Chabert, who had held the office since 2015. The Departmental Council of Vaucluse has 34 seats. The Left Front (FG) currently has 2 seats, the Socialist Party (PS) has 7, Europe Ecology – The Greens (EELV) has 3, the miscellaneous right (DVD) has 2, The Republicans (LR) have 10, the National Rally has 6 and a local party, the Ligue du Sud (LS), has 4. In

558-651: The Earth's surface, it is often possible to enter the caves from karst springs for exploration. Large karst springs are located in many parts of the world; the largest ones are believed to be in Papua New Guinea , with others located in Mediterranean countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Turkey , Slovenia , and Italy . An estavelle or inversac is a ground orifice which, depending on weather conditions and season, can serve either as

589-460: The Souffleur hole of Saint-Christol , the "underground river of Albion". This system of chasms and cavities, which riddles the Albion Plateau, is one of the effects of karstification. During heavy storms, it can store around 110,000,000 cubic metres (3.9 × 10  cu ft). A mathematical model indicated that, based on the greatest depth of −308 metres (−1,010 ft) and the surface area of

620-520: The Vaucluse Mountains, the Albion Plateau and Lure Mountain, but it excludes Bluye Mountain in the north, as well as the Luberon massif and the Apt syncline in the south. The part of the reservoir that is accessible to speleologists exceeds a depth of −921 metres (−3,022 ft), since it has been explored during a period of low water from several open cavities forming the karst system of

651-514: The Vaucluse Mountains, the Albion Plateau, and the Lure Mountain, will have had their thickness reduced by 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). In antiquity the site was a place of ritual offerings. During various dives, particularly in 1998, the members of the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse Speleological Society (SSFV), were intrigued by the presence of many coins. Prospecting dives were made by SSFV speleologists under

SECTION 20

#1732764904312

682-498: The basin and on 24 September 1938 Negri reached a depth of 27.5 metres (90 ft). It was then necessary to wait for the arrival of the scuba diving suit in 1946 when Jacques Cousteau reached 46 metres (151 ft), then 74 metres (243 ft) nine years later. This is the limit of dives with air. In 1981 Claude Touloumdjian reached 153 metres (502 ft) with an oxygen-helium mixture. Finally, in 1983, Jochen Hasenmayer reached 205 metres (673 ft). To go even deeper and touch

713-487: The bottom it would be necessary to use robots. In 1985 the Modexa 350 Mission removed the mystery about the depth of the system. The robot touched bottom at a depth of 305 metres (1,001 ft). In 1989 another robot, Spélénaute (SSFV), reached the lowest point known to date in the siphon at a depth of 308 metres (1,010 ft). In 1997 the diver Pascal Bernabé descended to a depth of 250 metres (820 ft). In 2014

744-533: The direction of the Department of Underwater and Underwater Archaeological Research (DRASSM ). The Spélénaute submarine allowed them to work between −40 and −80 metres (−130 and −260 ft) in 2001, revealing ancient deposits of currency. A year later, during a new exploration campaign, speleologists retrieved 400 pieces of great historical value. In 2003 a new archaeological site allowed other discoveries. 1,600 pieces and objects have been recovered, dating from

775-751: The nearby city of Lyon , a hotbed of the French Resistance in World War II . Vaucluse is bordered by the Rhône to the west and the Durance to the south. Mountains occupy a significant proportion of the eastern half of the department, with Mont Ventoux (1,912 m), also known as "the Giant of Provence", dominating the landscape. Other important mountain ranges include the Dentelles de Montmirail ,

806-399: The reservoir loses 50,000 cubic metres (1,800,000 cu ft) of limestone each year. This karstification phenomenon acting on the surface of the impluvium , removes an annual volume of 45 cubic metres (1,600 cu ft) per square kilometre, which disappears after being dissolved in the water. That figure becomes more meaningful when calculations show that, in 3.5 million years,

837-608: The same name caused confusion, so the commune was renamed "Fontaine-de-Vaucluse", after the spring. The village in which the spring is located was called " Vallis Clausa " ("closed valley") in Latin because of its topographical position. This in time became "Vaucluse", from which the spring takes its name. The name in the Provençal dialect is "Fònt de Vauclusa", the spring of the closed valley. The word font has two meanings in Provençal, "fountain" and "spring". Here it designates

868-475: The small black salamanders to which she gave birth. She was desperate for a new husband and a father for her children but her ugliness repulsed all suitors. According to Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing , the Drac is a Ligurian divinity of tumultuous waters and the Coulobre owes its name to two Celto-Ligurian roots: Kal (stone) and Briga (hill). This is the cliff overlooking the spring which still holds

899-465: The world, with an annual output of 630,000,000 to 700,000,000 cubic metres (2.2 × 10 to 2.5 × 10  cu ft) of water. The spring is the prime example in hydrogeology of a "Vaucluse spring". It is the source of the Sorgue . The Fontaine de Vaucluse is in the commune of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse in the department of Vaucluse . The commune was formerly called "Vaucluse", but being in a department with

930-473: The year round and only flow after heavy rain. Sources that only flow during wet years are often known in German as Hungerbrunnen ("hunger springs"), since folklore claimed a connection between the flow rate of a spring and poor crop yield in a wet year. This appears to be more of a culturally-related superstition , as scientific studies on various Hungerbrunnen have not confirmed such a relationship. An example

961-581: Was replaced in the National Assembly by Adrien Morenas . ** Jacques Bompard resigned in August 2017 to become Mayor of Orange . He was replaced by Marie-France Lorho . Fontaine de Vaucluse (spring) The Fontaine de Vaucluse ( French pronunciation: [fɔ̃tɛn də voklyz] ) is a karst spring in the commune of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse , France. It is the largest karst spring in metropolitan France by flow and fifth largest in

Vaucluse - Misplaced Pages Continue

#311688