Third route for this university work whose aim is to present a geographical area of Belgium both on a geomorphological and geological level as well as geographically and humanly using the Komoot platform where these different points will be presented in the form of " must-see points”. This constitutes the 3rd route starting from Tintingny passing through the Gaume natural park, Saint Léger then Messancy and return to Arlon.
First segment here of this route, departure from Virton to climb Bellefontaine (figure 1), passing from the cuesta depression by the steep slope. From the beginning, the routes (Attert valley and upper Semois basin) were only along the Sinemurian cuesta, here the route passes through the gentle slope of the south-facing cuesta. Tintigny is located on the inclined layer of soft Marl deposited 200 million years ago, this layer constitutes the Hettangian stage. This was eroded by the Semois and its network. On the Marne, the Sinemurian stage (199 to 190 million years ago) was deposited a layer of sandstone harder than the Marne, essentially calcareous sandstone (figure 4). This layer therefore forms the crest of the Cuesta. In short, the passage from Tintigny to Bellefontaine is characterized by the change in geological layer, going from the Hettangian to the Sinemurian stage. The ridge is at an altitude of 400 meters.
As on the other courses, the region is composed of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks (figure 2) dating from the Jurassic (-201 to -145 million years ago) in the northern extension of the Paris basin, the Gulf of Luxembourg (figure 3). With a hilly relief, this area is shaped by the valleys in the sands and different sandstones of the Luxembourg formation, somewhat in the same vein as the observations of the first route (Attert valley and rise to Arlon).
On the geomorphological map (figure 5), a blue zone is observable. It is a karst formation. But above all, the Gaume natural park is made up of different watercourses and the main characteristic of the karst formations being the dissolution of limestone rocks by the infiltration of water and the mechanical erosion of water. It is then a succession of these two phenomena over millennia which can create sinkholes (holes in the ground created by limestone erosion) or become blocked again. No sinkholes here
Small passage through the Montauban forges, in the middle of the route. It is a classified exceptional heritage site in the Walloon region. Located in a valley along a stream and on the heights, the site dating from 1507 has hosted several owners. It is made up of two parts, one on the heights with a Celtic fortification with remains of the ramparts, moats, fortifications and a keep. The other part located in the valley, there are remains and ruins of an old metallurgical industry.
Translated by Google •
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