The Pointe de Jardeheu

The Pointe de Jardeheu

This site reveals, within its small cliff, traces of a perched beach dating back to the Eemian period, between 130,000 and 115,000 years ago. This ancient beach was located at a higher altitude than the current sea level. It formed during a period when sea levels were higher. This beach is therefore a valuable record of sea-level variations throughout geological time.

Traces of settlement have been discovered there, making this site, along with Roche Gélétan, one of the oldest inhabited areas in La Hague. The tools found, mainly chipped stones and bifaces, were made from local stone, although some flint objects probably originated from formations transported by the paleo-Seine during the marine regressions of the Quaternary period.

At low tide, the foreshore of Pointe de Jardeheu also allows observation of rocks originating from the 3 mountain ranges of the geological history of La Hague:

• Icartian gneiss;
• Cadomian magmatic rocks (the Jardeheu diorite which is in contact on both sides of the Pointe de Jardeheu with the Icartian gneisses; and the Omonville granodioride veins);
• dolerite dikes (veins) attributed to the Hercynian orogeny that intersect the diorite.

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Customs trail

DIGULLEVILLE

50440 La Hague