Grottes du Quéroy
| Grottes du Quéroy
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 The Lise Bosnot room |
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| Location: | Charente department , France | |
| Height : | 135 m | |
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Geographic location: |
45 ° 39 ′ 7 ″ N , 0 ° 19 ′ 5 ″ E | |
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| Geology: | Jurassic Limestone | |
| Type: | Karst cave | |
| Discovery: | 1892 | |
| Overall length: | 1400 m | |
| Level difference: | 35 m | |
| Length of the show cave area: |
1200 m | |
The Grottes du Quéroy are a cave system located in the municipality of Chazelles ( Charente department , Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ) . It originated 12 million years ago in the Jurassic limestone of the Karst of La Rochefoucauld .
etymology
The Grottes du Quéroy, formerly also known as Grottes de Barouty , were named after the village of Le Quéroy in the municipality of Mornac , 2 kilometers further north-west .
geography
The cave system is located at 135 meters above sea level on the eastern edge of the Forêt de Bois Blanc forest in the municipality of Chazelles. His field name is Le Chaume du Luquet , named after the village of Luquet 2 kilometers further south-east. It consists of 30 individual rooms that were removed from the limestone plateau by the deep water. A 1200 meter long gallery path adapted for visitors connects the individual halls. Lime concretions and coatings, but also stalagmites and stalactites can be admired on it. The temperatures inside fluctuate between 12 degrees Celsius at 12 meters and 8 degrees Celsius at 25 meters.
On the surface, in the middle of the oak forest, carts can be seen, which are in places covered by a thin layer of earth.
geology
The Grottes du Quéroy are of natural origin. They originated 12 million years ago in the Miocene ( Serravallian ). They are located in the tectonically stressed limestone of the Upper Jurassic (middle and upper Oxfordian - oolithic, bioclastic and detritic limestone). Its formation is related to the infiltration of the Bandiat , which loses its water to the west via underground streams in the karst of La Rochefoucauld towards Sources de la Touvre . This current currently penetrates the rock 80 meters below the cave system.
There are massive sedimentary deposits in the cave system, caused by oscillations in the water table in the Karst of La Rochefoucauld.
history
The Grottes du Quéroy were discovered by chance in 1892 by Lise Bosnot on a walk when her dog Pastille was chasing a fox. However, the caves were only thoroughly explored by Norbert Casteret in 1936 and then used for tourist purposes. Traces of human presence were found that same year. They could be dated back to the end of the Neolithic . The archaeological findings - mammoth bones and processed reindeer bones, but also artifacts and pottery from the endchalkolithischen Artenac culture (2500-2000 BC -.. Artenacien I and especially Artenacien II ) and Gallo-Roman times - to the Musée d'Angoulême be visited . In addition to the end-Neolithic and Gallo-Roman traces, remains from the Bronze Age came to light, which could be assigned to the final stage III b. There are also some objects from the Iron Age that are probably among the oldest Iron Age finds in France. The archaeological finds are limited to two halls - the Salle du gisement at the entrance and the adjoining Salle des Dalles .
During the Second World War, the cave system was used by the Resistance as a hiding place, and several stalactites at the entrance were damaged.
In the sixties, the Grottes du Quéroy were opened up for tourism. Concrete sidewalks were laid, a mini golf was built (which can still be played in summer) and a restaurant was opened (but currently closed).
Dating
Two layers from the epoch of Artenaciens could be dated - 4260 ± 110 and 4130 ± 70 BP . This corresponds to 2310 ± 110 and 2180 ± 70 BC. In addition, older, archaic pottery remains of the Artenaciens have been found.
fauna
The cave system of the Grottes du Quéroy is one of the sites of the saiga antelope ( Saiga tatarica ) in western Europe.
Visiting hours
The cave system can be visited daily between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. in July and August. In May, June and September it is open on Sundays and bank holidays between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The visit takes about an hour and includes two circular routes. Outside of the official visiting hours, a rendezvous in Chazelles with a subsequent visit can be organized by calling 33 (0) 5 45 70 38 14. The mini golf is open during official visiting hours.
Long-distance hiking trail
The GR 4 long-distance hiking trail from Royan to Cannes leads past the Grottes du Quéroy.
See also
literature
- B. Bourgeuil, P. Moreau and J. Vouvé: Angoulême XVII-32 . In: Carte géologique de la France at 1/50 000 . BRGM.
- J. Gomez, Ph. Maire and J.-F. Tournepiche: La stratigraphie chalcolithique et protohistorique de la grotte Quéroy à Chazelles (Charente) . In: Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française . t. 75, n ° 10, 1978, p. 394-421 .
- J. Gomez and L. Laporte: Les niveaux Funéraires Artenaciens de la Grotte du Quéroy à Chazelles (Charente) . In: Gallia Préhistoire . t. 32, 1990, pp. 179-235 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ F. Roger: Guide des merveilles de la nature . éd. Arthaud, 2007, ISBN 978-2-7003-0068-0 , pp. 293 .
- ↑ Grégory Dandurand: Cavités et remplissages de la nappe karstique de Charente (bassin de la Touvre, La Rochefoucauld). Spéléogenèse par fantômisation, archives pleistocène et holocène, rôle de l'effet de site. (PhD thesis in geomorphology) . Université Michel de Montaigne - Bordeaux III, 2011.
- ↑ Norbert Casteret: Mes cavernes . Perrin, Paris 1940.
- ↑ Claude Burnez and Pierrick Fouéré: Les enceintes néolithiques de Diconche à Saintes (Charente-Maritime): une périodisation de l'Artenac . In: SPF . Paris 1999, p. 829 .
- ↑ José Gomez de Soto and Isabelle Kerouanton: La Grotte du Quéroy Chazelles (Charente) - Le Bronze final III b . In: Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française . Tome 88 / 10-12, 1991, pp. 341-392 .
- ↑ Claude Burnez: XVIII. L'évolution de l'Artenac . In: Mémoire SPF XXV - Mémoire APC XV . Vol. 1, 1999, pp. 359 .