Discover France and Explore the Fossils and Geodiversity of Luberon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Wayne Munday
- 10 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Sip back and discover France and explore the fossils and geodiversity of the Luberon UNESCO Global Geopark in the south east of France that reveals millions of years of Earth’s history in its limestone ridges, valleys and fossiliferous formations. The geopark preserves Early Cretaceous Aptian Stage marine fossils in the Blue Marls including ammonites, belemnites, bivalves, gastropods, corals and shark teeth any many are pyritised. Equally remarkable are the Rupelian Stage lake deposits from the Oligocene Epoch found at the Apt–Forcalquier–Manosque syncline where an ancient shallow lake accumulated fine-grained sediments that preserved fish, insects, plants, birds and hundreds of mammalian footprints. These trace fossils, globally rare, include perissodactyl tracks attributed to Rhinoceripeda voconcense, artiodactyl tracks to Megapecoripeda velox, and carnivore footprints to Bestiopeda sp., offering unparalleled insights into early Oligocene mammal diversity, behavior and movement. These marine and terrestrial fossil records show Luberon as a unique must-visit destination.
Luberon is located in Provence and at its heart is the Luberon UNESCO Global Geopark, designated in 2015 covering roughly 1,950 Km² across. About 60 Km north of Aix-en-Provence and 50 Km east of Avignon the landscape of Luberon is defined by the parallel limestone ridges of the Grand and Petit Luberon, fertile valleys, ochre cliffs of Roussillon and and is bounded to the south by the Durance valley. This is where Jurassic and Cretaceous limestones, Aptian grey marls and ochre coloured Cenozoic sediments reveal millions of years of Earth’s history. Eocene–Oligocene lake beds preserve detailed fossils of fish, plants and thousands of mammal footprints at geosites such as Saignon, Viens and Manosque.
The Luberon UNESCO Global Geopark tells a story of where marine seas, lake margins and mountain building have combined to preserve exceptionally detailed fossil record of ancient life. Firstly, the Marnes Bleues or “Blue Marls” of marine sediments dating to approximately 121.4 - 113.2 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Epoch and secondly, a series of Oligocene lake deposits that preserve vertebrate and invertebrate fossils along with the trace fossils of mammal footprints.
The Blue Marls of the Marnes Bleues formation is a marine sediment deposited around 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous during the Aptian Stage. Laid down as a series of cycles of clay and limestone laminations along the shallow shores of the deep water Vocontian Basin connected to the northern margin of the Tethys Ocean.
Positioned between the Jura-Dauphinois, Bas-Vivarais and Provence limestone platforms the Vocontian Basin acted as a major depositional environment for clay, calcium carbonate, silt and organic matter. The blue marls were formed in a oxygen deficient or anoxic marine environment where oxygen scarcity allowed organic matter to accumulate and iron sulphides such as pyrite to remain unoxidized giving the sediments their distinctive bluish colour. This environment and timing is consistent with the Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (OAE1a) a period of widespread ocean deoxygenation believed to have been caused by massive volcanic activity from the early Aptian eruption of the Ontong Java Plateau a massive seafloor platform in the western Pacific Ocean that released vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, triggering global warming, enhanced weathering, nutrient runoff, and widespread depletion of oceanic oxygen levels.
The Blue Marls particularly at La Tuilière near Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt are a globally significant Early Cretaceous fossil site first studied by Alcide d’Orbigny in 1840. These fossiliferous marls preserve a marine assemblage of microfossils such as ostracods and foraminifera alongside a large number of well-preserved and pyritised ammonite species, belemnites, bivalves, gastropods, corals, brachiopods, sea urchins and shark teeth.
Both Lower and Upper Aptian ammonites are present in the Blue Marls with notable Lower Aptian species including Deshayesites deshayesi, D. forbesi and Coroniceras multicostatum often associated with heteromorph forms like Toxoceratoides royerianus. Upper Aptian levels yield Epicheloniceras martini, Egoianiceras angulatum, Acanthohoplites sp., and Parahoplites sp.
The Oligocene fossil record for Luberon focusses on the Apt Basin and Apt–Forcalquier–Manosque syncline once an ancient lake surrounded by marshland with a thriving biodiversity. The Apt–Forcalquier–Manosque syncline formed as a depression during the Oligocene from the tectonic influence of the Pyrenean, Provençal and later Alpine mountain building phases. This period of extensional tectonics and localised subsidence created elongated synclinal basins that collected water from regional precipitation and runoff from the surrounding highlands forming shallow freshwater lakes.
These Oligocene lakes were long-lived enough to accumulate substantial fine grained lake sediments including clays, carbonates and silts forming the Céreste limestones. The lakes had slow circulation and experienced their own intermittent anoxic conditions ideal for preserving delicate soft tissues, imprints and integumentary details. Fossil assemblages include fish with articulated skeletons, insects with wing venation, leaves with fine venation patterns, frogs, birds with feather impressions. These fossils assemblages suggest that the environment was calm, had low-oxygen bottom waters, experienced rapid burial and microbial binding limited decay and scavenging.
Luberon is not only renowned for its exceptionally preserved marine fossils but also for its remarkable terrestrial trace fossils including early Oligocene mammalian footprints. These footprints are preserved in the Rupelian Stage limestones dating to approximately 33.9–27.3 million years ago. They form hundreds if not thousands of ichnites arranged in continuous trackways along what was once a microbial-bound shoreline. Mammal tracks from this period are globally rare with fewer than 60 pre-Holocene sites known making the Luberon particularly important for understanding early Oligocene mammal diversity in regions where skeletal remains are scarce.
The trackways provide invaluable insights into the movement and behaviour extinct mammals. Among the traces are perissodactyl footprints left by odd-toed ungulates such as those of horses, rhinos and tapirs that display a distinctive mesaxonic foot structure, where the central digit bears most of the animal’s weight. In contrast, artiodactyl tracks, made by even-toed mammals like deer, cows and hippos are also present and show two main weight-bearing digits. Studies suggest that the perissodactyl tracks belong to Rhinoceripeda voconcense, the artiodactyl tracks to Megapecoripeda velox and the carnivore footprints to Bestiopeda sp., These trackways likely representing the megafauna rhinocerotids, early ruminants called Lophiomerycids or pig-like Entelodonts and mustelid-like carnivores ancestors to weasels, badgers, otters or ferrets.
Finally, one of the most striking features of Luberon is the Ochre Cliffs of Roussillon formed from iron-rich sedimentary deposits left behind as ancient seas receded millions of years ago. Composed of Oligocene sandstones and marls these sediments underwent oxidation of iron minerals including hematite and goethite creating the vivid reds, oranges and yellows that define the landscape. Over time, natural erosion by wind and rain sculpted the cliffs into dramatic shapes while centuries of human mining for ochre pigments shaped the terrain further. Roussillon, is perched atop these cliffs, became a historic centre for ochre extraction, with pigments used in paint, stucco, cosmetics and industrial products since prehistoric times. Today, the Ochre Conservatory preserves this heritage with exhibitions and guided tours.
Visiting the Luberon UNESCO Global Geopark offers a unique journey through deep time, where every outcrop, trackway and fossil tells a story of Earth’s past. Whether standing on the Aptian marls of La Tuilière or tracing the Oligocene mammal footprints at Saignon this geopark invites exploration and discovery blending scientific insight with natural beauty.
