Éboulements des Diablerets, Geological catastrophe site in Valais, Switzerland.
The Éboulements des Diablerets are rockfall sites in the Lizerne Valley featuring a landscape shaped by massive boulders and debris fields. The area is defined by the dramatic geological changes, including a lake that formed from one of the collapses.
The first rockslide occurred in 1714 and killed many people and animals. A second collapse in 1749 formed the lake that exists today and marked the end of this devastating period for the region.
Locals named the area Les Diablerets, meaning 'the devils', because they attributed the mountain collapses to supernatural forces. This name choice shows how people understood the dramatic events happening in their landscape.
A hiking trail circles the rockfall area and allows visitors to explore the landscape on foot. The path passes through forests and offers good views of how the geological changes shaped the terrain.
The valley contains a lake that is among Europe's youngest natural lakes, having formed through the rockslides themselves. Today the lake sits within a nature reserve where visitors can spot wild mountain dwellers like ibex and eagles.
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