Audomarois marshes

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The Audomarois Marsh is a vast classified natural area, renowned for its unique biodiversity. Spanning 15,000 hectares, it is the largest marsh in northern France, with a rich ecosystem that is home to a multitude of animal and plant species.

Omer

The site is accessible all year round

Free

Dogs welcome

Facilities

  • Picnic area
  • Visitor information available
  • Disabled parking
  • Viewpoint
  • Accessible footpaths
  • Car parking
  • Toilets

Geosite details

The Audomarois Marsh is a vast classified natural area, renowned for its unique biodiversity. Spanning 15,000 hectares, it is the largest marsh in northern France, with a rich ecosystem that is home to a multitude of animal and plant species. The formation of the marsh is the result of the meeting between the sea and the Aa River, where sediments have been deposited over the centuries.

The site is also known for its peat mining, which has shaped its landscape and ecosystem. Today, the marsh is classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, highlighting its importance for the conservation of biodiversity. Marked trails allow visitors to discover the flora and fauna, while enjoying boat rides in the canals.

The 'Big Bang'

13.8 billion years ago

Earth formed

4.6 billion years ago

 

540 million years ago

The Cambrian explosion of life: animals evolved and diversified as never before on Earth.

Devonian

419 million years ago

390 million years ago the oldest rocks you can see in the Geopark date back to the Middle Devonian. They are still quarried today in the Marquise basin in France.

Carboniferous

359 million years ago

Around 325 million years ago the Geopark was near the equator. The swamp forests from that period are preserved as coal, which was formerly mined in the Marquise basin in France as well as in East Kent and the Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

Permian

299 million years ago

Triassic

252 million years ago

210 million years ago the Geopark was in the centre of the Pangaea supercontinent, and dinosaurs roamed the land!

Jurassic

201 million years ago

150 million years ago the Geopark was submerged under the sea, the sands, clays, limestones, and sandstones that compose the Boulonnais region in France were deposited.

Cretaceous

145 million years ago

Over about 40 million years from 100-60 million years ago, Chalk formed at the bottom of a warm, shallow sea where the Geopark is located today. This was the first step towards the formation of our distinctive chalk landscape, which defines much of the Geopark.

Palaeogene

66 million years ago

Tectonic activity around 40 million years ago uplifted the territory of the Geopark by dozens of metres, creating an extensive chalk landscape that connected France and Great Britain.

Neogene

23 million years ago

Quaternary

2.6 million years ago

450,000 years ago, a megaflood destroyed the chalk ridge connecting Calais and Dover, creating the iconic white cliffs of the Geopark we see today

Getting here

Audomarois marshes

62500 Saint-Omer, France

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