Photo : Vorlod / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Le Chaos de Nîmes le Vieux
The Nîmes-le-Vieux chaos is a site of dolomitic rocks in ruin-like shapes, at about 1,100 metres' altitude, south-east of the Causse Méjean, in the commune of Fraissinet-de-Fourques, in Lozère. It is reached by the Col du Perjuret, between Florac and Meyrueis. The hundreds of rocks, sculpted by erosion, spread over about 4 kilometres and form real streets and squares of stone.
The place was named in 1908 by Paul Arnal, pastor at Vébron, by analogy with the Montpellier-le-Vieux chaos, discovered twenty-five years earlier. Édouard-Alfred Martel published his observations on the site in 1910. According to the current description, the rocks measure from 10 to 50 metres high and form an arc with the tiering of a cirque.
The site lies in the core zone of the Cévennes National Park, which has set up a nature discovery trail there, starting from the hamlet of L'Hom. Houses in the neighbouring village of Le Veygalier also present an exhibition on geology. Bring good shoes: the ground is stony and offers little shelter.
