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La Pointe du Chay

Headlands of FranceLandforms of Charente-Maritime
LaPointeDuChay
LaPointeDuChay

La Pointe du Chay is a limestone promontory, about 5 kilometres from La Rochelle, France, between the seafront of Aytré and Angoulins. La Pointe du Chay is composed of layers of limestone dating back to the Sequanian stage (upper Oxfordian stage) of the Jurassic period (circa 160 million years ago), when a large part of France was submerged. These rocks were formed by the accumulation of organisms falling on the seabed, where they solidified. This happened at the time dinosaurs were roaming the earth. Many of these layers are especially visible and easily accessible at La Pointe du Chay, in which are encapsulated many small marine fossils. Layers of thick white rocks, formed during period of relatively warm seas, alternate with highly friable layers containing sands and remains of mud, formed during colder periods, and with layers containing various corals, that were formed during warmer, tropical times.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article La Pointe du Chay (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

La Pointe du Chay
Chemin de la Platère, La Rochelle

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 46.1075 ° E -1.1402777777778 °
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Chemin de la Platère

Chemin de la Platère
17690 La Rochelle
Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
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Canal de Marans à La Rochelle
Canal de Marans à La Rochelle

The Canal de Marans à La Rochelle, also known as Canal de Marans, Canal de Rompsay (French pronunciation: ​[kanal də ʁɔ̃se]) or Canal de La Rochelle depending on the location, is a French canal in the Charente-Maritime department connecting the city of La Rochelle with the town of Marans. It also connects the river of the Sèvre Niortaise to the harbour at La Rochelle. The canal goes through the communes of Dompierre-sur-Mer, Andilly and Sainte-Soulle. It is 24.5 km long, with 4 locks, and has a total level change of 1.7 m. It has a width of 5.2 m. The canal was built in the 19th century in order to foster trade between the two cities. It was part of a great project of a North-South canal connecting the river Loire to the Adour. The project was ordered by imperial decision of Napoleon I on July 17, 1805, with the objective of connecting Niort with La Rochelle. It was started in 1806, but only open in 1875, and only reached La Rochelle in 1888. It was built with the forced labour of prisoners. When it was completed however, the advent of the train (with the establishment of a track between Nantes and La Rochelle) meant that the canal fell into disuse. Navigation on the canal was totally stopped after the Second World War. It is today not navigable. Today the canal allows for picturesque walks between the two cities. It is renowned for its flora and fauna. The waters of the canal discharge into the Maubec reservoir at La Rochelle, just before the tidal bassin, and its waters contribute to scour the harbour and navigable channels.