In the Causses du Quercy, 200 million years of history of the Earth are told. In the Jurassic era, here stood a tropical lagoon that looked very much like the Bahamas !
After the sea retreated, many climate changes followed, and the Causses du Quercy transformed succesively into a tropical forest, a savannah, a frozen steppe where mammoths roamed. All these changes where registered … into the underground.
Did you ever hear about « phosphatières » ? Over a hundred of these phosphate pits can be found in Quercy. They are astounding fossil deposits !
In the Cloup d’Aural, the most representative of them, you can go down narrow canyons, where ferns grow, looking straight out of the dinosaur age. There you will meet the « cadurcothère », the wild beast of Cahors …
Over geological times, water shaped stone, both at the surface and deep in the underground. When visiting the GeoSites of the Park, you will learn to read the traces of this past in the landscape. From the cliffs of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie to the Cirque de Vènes, and to the igues (chasms) of Aujols and Crégols, geology is everywhere !
Do you feel like exploring the underground world ? The Causses du Quercy are filled with caves suitable for speleology. Regardless of your previous experience, you will be able to embark on a journey to discover the karst from within and learn more about undeground legends. Local professionals will share their passion with you through begginer’s exploration.
