Calanque

A calanque is a steep-sided valley formed within karstic regions either by fluvial erosion or the collapse of the roof of a cave that has been subsequently partially submerged by a rise in sea level.

[1][2][3] The best known examples of this formation can be found in the Massif des Calanques (Massís dei calancas in Occitan, the traditional local language) in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of Southern France.

Modern day calanques along the Mediterranean Sea are steep-sided valleys that the Holocene (Flandrian) marine transgression partially submerged to form cliff-edged inlets.

[1][2][3] Along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, some of the valleys, which were flooded to form calanques, might date back to the Messinian salinity crisis between 5.96 and 5.32 million years ago.

Fluvial erosion by smaller streams and rivers created numerous other deep, steep-sided valleys in response to the greatly lowered sea level at this time.

During these periods of interglacial low sea level, additional steep-sided valleys, which were later flooded to create calanques, along the Mediterranean coastline were formed by fluvial and karst processes.

[11] In places where cliffs are less vertical, the vegetation is a classic Mediterranean maquis, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs such as sage, juniper and myrtle.

The calanques between Marseille and Cassis are popular amongst tourists and locals alike, offering several vantage points (such as the Corniche des Crêtes and Cap Canaille) allowing spectacular panoramas.