Pelat massif explained

The Pelat massif are a massif in the French Alps located in the departments of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes. Its name comes from the main peak of the massif.

Geography

Location

In its most common usage, the term Pelat massif refers only to the highest part, consisting of the summits of Mont Pelat and Mount Cimet.

In a broader sense (geographical classification of summits), the massif extends from north to south between the Verdon and Var rivers.

It is bordered to the north and east by the Mercantour-Argentera massif (to which it is sometimes linked), to the south by the Castellane Prealps, and to the west by the Trois-Évêchés massif.

Main peaks

• Mont Pelat, 3,051 m
• Mount Cimet, 3,020 m
• Téton, 2,969 m
• Trou de l'Aigle, 2,961 m
• Grand Cheval de Bois, 2,838 m
• Sommet des Garrets, 2,822 m
• Sommet de la Frema, 2,747 m
• Grandes Tours du Lac, 2,745 m
• Montagne de l'Avalanche, 2,729 m
• Grand Coyer, 2,693 m
• Tête de l'Encombrette, 2,682 m
• Petit Coyer, 2,580 m
• Mouriès, 2,540 m
• Aiguilles de Pelens, 2,523 m
• Mont Saint-Honorat, 2,520 m
• Puy du Pas Roubinous, 2,516 m

Geology

The Pelat Massif is composed of:

• schist in the northern, highest zone (summits of Le Cimet and Mont Pelat).
• sedimentary rocks, mainly limestone, sandstone, and marl in the southern part.

The southern part of the massif is characterized by the outcrop of the Priabonian series, consisting, from bottom to top, of nummulitic limestone, blue marl, and Annot sandstone.^{[1] [2]} This series creates a characteristic stratification of a white limestone bar, an area of softer reliefs, or even ravines, followed by sandstone bars, which are prominently visible in the landscape around Annot.

Notes and References

1. Book: Bulletin des Services de la carte géologique de la France et des topographies souterraines . 1898 . Libr. polytechnique, Baudry et Cie . 20 . fr.
2. Book: Stanley, Daniel J. . Submarine Canyon and Slope Sedimentation (grès D'Annot) in the French Maritime Alps . 1975 . IXme Congrès international de sédimentologie . 21 . en.