With Mount Etna currently erupting in Sicily, we asked ourselves a simple question: Is there a volcano in the Bouches-du-Rhône? To our great surprise, the answer was yes, and it’s not that far from Marseille. Is there a risk it could erupt? We’ve got the answer for you.
How many volcanoes are there in France?
In France, there are indeed thousands of landforms, peaks, and lakes of volcanic origin. Since these volcanoes are inactive, they pose absolutely no risk to us. However, even though they are few in number, there are indeed active volcanoes in France.
There are three, and they’re all located in France’s overseas territories. Two are situated in the Lesser Antilles arc (La Soufrière in Guadeloupe and Mount Pelée in Martinique), and the third is on Réunion Island (Piton de la Fournaise). In metropolitan France, the Auvergne volcanoes of the Chaîne des Puys are “young” volcanoes less than 10,000 years old. Considered“dormant”rather than “inactive,” this means they could very well wake up one day…
Could the volcano near Marseille erupt?
Less than an hour’s drive from Marseille, north of Aix-en-Provence, lies a geological rarity: Provence’s only volcano, located in Rognes. Nestled on the private grounds of the Domaine de Beaulieu, this extinct volcano—which shaped the landscape 17.5 million years ago—gave the estate its name. At that time, Rognes was located on the coast, and the lava flow that emerged during the eruption left a unique mark on the region.
Spanning 4 km², this ancient volcanic structure features a rock type unusual for the region: basalt, which gives it an enigmatic atmosphere. Specifically, this volcano is a maar, meaning it forms a sort of depression filled with lava, with a nearly flat surface. Hard to spot for the uninitiated, the Beaulieu volcano remains a discreet yet precious geological treasure of the PACA region.
