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Dent de Crolles

Coordinates: 45°18′30″N 5°51′19″E / 45.30833°N 5.85528°E / 45.30833; 5.85528
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dent de Crolles
The Dent de Crolles seen from Saint-Pancrasse (South)
Highest point
Elevation2,062 m (6,765 ft)
Prominence681 m (2,234 ft)[1]
Coordinates45°18′30″N 5°51′19″E / 45.30833°N 5.85528°E / 45.30833; 5.85528
Geography
Dent de Crolles is located in Alps
Dent de Crolles
Dent de Crolles
Location in the Alps
Dent de Crolles is located in France
Dent de Crolles
Dent de Crolles
Dent de Crolles (France)
CountryFrance
DepartmentIsère
Parent rangeChartreuse Mountains
Climbing
Easiest routeFrom the Col du Coq

The Dent de Crolles (French pronunciation: [dɑ̃ kʁol]) is a karstic mountain (2,062 m) of the Chartreuse Mountains range, 17 kilometres (11 miles) north east of Grenoble, Isère, France. The mountain has a characteristic "tooth-like" profile; the French word dent means "tooth". de Crolles is derived from the town of Crolles, located next to the peak. The Dent de Crolles is easily recognizable from the Isère Valley (Grésivaudan) near Grenoble.

Geography

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The Dent de Crolles is a karstic mountain (2,062 m) of the Chartreuse Mountains range, 17 kilometres (11 miles) north east of Grenoble, Isère, France.[2] The French word "dent" means tooth and "de Crolles" is derived from the town of Crolles, located next to the mountain. It is easily recognizable from the Isère valley (Grésivaudan) in the Grenoble area.

Cave system

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The réseau de la Dent de Crolles, which lies beneath the summit plateau, is one of the most complex and longest cave systems in Europe, and is considered[according to whom?] to be one of the birth places of modern caving. Its first detailed exploration was during World War II by a small team of French cavers which included Pierre Chevalier, Fernand Petzl, and Charles Petit-Didier.[3] Their explorations saw it become the deepest cave in the world at the time with a depth of −658 m (−2,159 ft). The lack of available equipment during the war forced the team to develop their own equipment, leading to technical innovation. The first use of the single rope technique with prusik and mechanical rope-ascenders (Henri Brenot's "monkeys", first used by Chevalier and Brenot in a cave in 1934) can be directly associated with its exploration.[4]

Since 1946, the cave has undergone intense and continuous exploration. As of 2023, eighteen separate entrances have been discovered.[5] The highest is the Gouffre Bob Vouay at an altitude of 2,015 metres (6,611 ft) located close to the summit, and the lowest is the main resurgence, the Grotte du Guiers Mort at an altitude of 1,334 metres (4,377 ft), giving a depth of 681 metres (2,234 ft). It is known to include more than 60 kilometres (37 mi) of passages. The cave system is popular for the various through trips that the various entrances allow.[6][7]

Schematic plan of the cave system of the Dent de Crolles. The colours correspond to different levels, the Grotte du Guiers Mort being the point 0; the blue represents the river : level 0 à +100 m ; the yellow (le Métro) the level +100 à +140 m ; the red (le boulevard des Tritons) the level +140 à +200 m ; the green (Glaz-Annette) the level +350 m. The elevation between the highest entrance, the Gouffre Bob Vouay (2015 m), and the Grotte du Guiers Mort is 681 meters.
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Bibliography (in French)

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  • La Dent de Crolles et son réseau souterrain, Comité départemental de spéléologie de l'Isère, 1997, ISBN 2-902670-38-9 : "La Dent de Crolles et son réseau souterrain" (PDF).

Bibliography (in English)

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  • Système de grottes de la Dent de Crolles, France in Encyclopedia of Cave and Karst Science (pp.283-285) of John Gunn : Philippe Audra (January 2004). "Dent de Crolles cave system, France".

References (in French)

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References

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  1. ^ "Dent de Crolles". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  2. ^ "Géoportail".
  3. ^ "La Dent de Crolles et son réseau souterrain" (PDF). p. 69..
  4. ^ Courbon, Paul. "Evolution des techniques Spéléologiques/1" (in French). p. 6. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  5. ^ "The entrances of réseau de la Dent de Crolles". geoportail.gouv.fr..
  6. ^ Charreton, Philippe. "Historique". Speleo Dent de Crolles. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  7. ^ Gardner, John. "Réseau de la Dent de Crolles". braemoor.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2021.