Читать книгу Ecrins National Park. 70 walking routes in the Ecrins national park онлайн

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In the north and west the mountains consist of crystalline and meta-morphic rocks (granite and gneiss), while sedimentary rocks (limestone, schist and clay) dominate in the south and east. There are a surprisingly large number of glaciers amounting to some 12,000 hectares, for the Dauphiné Alps is the southernmost region of the Alpine chain to retain ice sheets of any size, and it is largely due to the powerful rivers and waterfalls flowing from them that such deep valleys and gorges have been cut.

The extraordinary difference in elevation between valley bed and mountain summit, ranging from 800m to 4000m, coupled with oceanic influences in the north and west, and Mediterranean influences in the south, are responsible for the wonderfully rich and diverse flora of the Écrins. Some 1800 species have been identified within the Park (that's half of all French flora); 800 of these are protected, while around 40 are considered either rare or endangered, and 35 are endemic to the area.

As for wildlife, the Park lists 64 species of mammal, including typical Alpine favourites such as ibex, chamois and marmot. The ibex was reintroduced to the Écrins as recently as 1990–95, but the chamois is well-established and the population now numbers around 12,000. There are 210 species of nesting birds and the largest concentration of golden eagles in France, while the bearded vulture is a regular visitor.