Location The Forez mountains are located in the
departments of
Loire,
Haute-Loire, and
Puy-de-Dôme. The massif is situated northwest of the city of
Saint-Étienne and southeast of
Thiers. It overlooks the Forez plain (to the east) and the Dore valley (to the west).
Geology The base of the Forez mountains consists of
igneous rocks (
granites) and
metamorphic rocks (
gneiss). The formation of the range occurred during the
Paleozoic Era. In the
Tertiary Period, the Alpine cycle created the current landscape with mountains and valleys. This episode ended with a
Miocene volcanic phase. The
Quaternary glaciations then eroded the landscape to give it its present form.
Fauna and flora The Forez mountains form a diverse natural environment where a marked stratification of different biotopes can be distinguished. The lower stage, of
mountainous type, is formed by relatively dense
pine forests and
beech and
fir forests, interspersed with mountainous agricultural areas, mainly dedicated to livestock farming. Beyond 1,400 meters, this gives way to vast high-altitude plateaus: the "Hautes Chaumes." This
subalpine stage consists of
moorlands dotted with peat
bogs. == Activities ==