The Graniteurs paths

4 points of interest

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  Migrating glaciers

  Glacial erratics are blocks of rock that have been ripped from mountainsides and moved by melting glaciers, sometimes over long distances. Often very different from the surrounding rocks, these isolated blocks testify to the effects of global warming. They can also be used to retrace the extent and flow direction of glaciers during the Ice Age. These blocks are not the same as moraines, which are the result of the accumulation of rocks and sediments around glaciers.

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  A historic undertaking

  These glacial erratics were mined and used in the construction of buildings. After the 1840 fire in Sallanches, many of the erratics from the surrounding area were used to make stones for funeral monuments, pavements, door and window frames, basins and millstones, many of which were exported to as far away as Israel and Algeria. Take this walk and retrace the history of Piedmont's quarrymen in the 19th century.

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  Geology

  Geological periods from the Holocene to the Anthropocene

  The stabilisation of the climate during the Holocene (the name given to the geological period of the last 12,000 years) has given the landscape its current form, notably through the spread of plant, animal and human colonies. The boundary between the mineral landscape (rocks, glaciers, lakes, etc.) and the vegetation fluctuates in line with slight climatic changes. The global warming that is currently taking place is a rapid process that is remarkable on the scale of geological time. As a result of human activity, it will continue and probably intensify over the coming decades. The Alpine landscape, which has already undergone major changes since 1850, will continue its fundamental transformation, with an unusual overgrowth of vegetation and ecological crises in the most elevated areas. Human influence on the environment and climate is having such an impact that we are now entering a new geological period: the era of humankind, the Anthropocene. To find out more "http://www.cen-haute-savoie.org/sites/contamines/crise”

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  Heritage worth preserving

  Today's landscape has been shaped by many different factors over the course of its long history. Constantly evolving, it is the result of ongoing processes affecting its mineral and biological development and, more recently, the consequence of human activities. Its dynamics, diversity, richness and fragility make it truly priceless. This landscape is your legacy! Admire mountain flowers instead of picking them, follow marked trails instead of trampling on natural habitats, watch the chamois from a distance instead of chasing them: sustainable tourism brings together the opportunity to experience nature and the need to protect it.