Schist organ pipes

Above the hamlet of Les Peines, some monumental schist sentinels watch over the valley with their stony gaze. The phenomenon of erosion can sometimes be destructive, but its action also forms very beautiful geological curiosities. 
These shiny schist monoliths are also known as "organ pipes". 
Exposed due to the movement of the tectonic plates, these rock formations are the result of a mixture of sediments accumulated at the bottom of ancient oceans and crystalline formations created in the depths of the earth, which was subjected to enormous pressures and temperatures. Primarily made up of mica and quartz crystals, this metamorphic rock has a flaky and shiny appearance. Extreme weather then exposed the most solid part of these formations. Born of the oceans and the earth, they form abrupt and tortured draperies which are also called «Arraches».