Soil geology of Gordes

With a strong variation of the ground level (from 111 meters in the plan de l’Alba to over 620 meters high in the Pouraque sector and Les Trois Termes), the soil geology of the town of Gordes can be divided into several distinct zones.

One can note in the North, in the Monts de Vaucluse, soil dating mainly from the Jurassic era composed of urgonian facies and argillaceous limestones. Dating from the Eocene / Oligocene era, there is also a very small proportion of soil composed of limestone, sand and clay localized above Sénanque.

The soil geology in the South of the village is more complex with:

The plain below Gordes (southeast) composed of soil dating back to the Quaternary era (fluvial deposits, colluvial and talus) and soils of the Jurassic / Cretaceous era (argillaceous limestone and blue marl Aptian);

The hills in the area of "La Garrigue" (south of the village) composed of soil dating from the Cretaceous / Paleocene era (sandy limestones, lacustrine limestones, colorful clayey sands, white sands and ocher + some iron crust) and from the Miocene era (limestone molasses, sand and marl);

Finally the soil further down towards the territory of Calvon plain with a slightly higher position dating from the Miocene era (molasses limestone, sand and marl) and one lower down from the Quaternary era (fluvial deposits, colluvial and talus).

Sources: mix of information from various maps and documents (Atlas, IGN, etc.)