Désert de Platé, Karst plateau in Passy, Magland, Arâches-la-Frasse, and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, France.
This limestone plateau extends across 1,980 hectares (4,893 acres) in the Fiz mountain range at elevations between 6,562 feet and 8,202 feet (2,000 and 2,500 meters), featuring sharp grooved rock formations carved by water and glacial erosion over thousands of years.
The site earned its desert designation due to historically difficult access requiring foot travel only, and since 1998 it has been recognized for its geological and landscape value within protected natural reserves in the region.
The plateau forms one of the largest lapiaz formations in Europe, composed of sedimentary rocks from the Eocene period dating back 34 to 40 million years, containing marine fossils including sea urchins and foraminifera that reveal ancient ocean floor environments.
Visitors can reach the plateau from Passy or Flaine using hiking trails including the GR 96 route or by taking the Grandes Platières cable car, with the Platé refuge at 4,265 feet (1,300 meters) providing shelter and regional cuisine during summer months from June to September.
The exposed limestone surface displays parallel dissolution grooves and micro-depressions formed by rainwater enriched with carbon dioxide, creating a lunar-like terrain where cyanobacteria contribute to ongoing chemical weathering processes that continue reshaping the rock formations today.
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