Apance
Encyclopedia
The Apance is a river
in the East of France
. It is one of the main tributaries
to the Upper Saône from the Champagne-Ardenne region
. It is the easternmost river of the region within the borders of Lorraine
and Franche-Comté
.
. It rises in the northern border of Apance-Amance, a natural micro-region covering the south-western protrusions of the Saône plateaux where the Saône itself rises. Apance-Amance occupies the eastern part of the the Langres arrondissement which forms the south of the Haute-Marne department
, at the extreme south-east of the Champagne-Ardenne region. The name "Apance-Amance" refers to both the Apance river and another tributary of the upper Saône which rises in the region. The main part of the Apance's course occurs within the Bourbonne-les-Bains canton, which is the furthest east in Langres and the Champagne-Ardenne region.
The final part of the river and its confluence with the Upper Saône occur with the historic regions of Champagne, Lorraine and Franche-Comté. This is in the territory of the Châtillon-sur-Saône commune
under the Vosges deparment, at the extreme south-west of Lorraine. The village from which the commune takes its name, is built on a spur
between the two rivers whose eastern foot dominates their confluence. The confluences is on the south-west border of la Vôge, the highest area in the Saône plateaux. These plateaux form the high upper-basin of the Vôge river, whose source is approximately 27 km north-east of its confluence with the Apnace. The Vôge river marks the north-eastern boundary of Apance-Amance, and covers part of the south-west quarter of the Vosges department and the far-North of the Haute-Saône department.
All these communes lie in the Bourbonne-les-bains Canton in the Haute-Marne department, except for Châtillon-sur-Saône, which lies in the Lamarche Canton in the Vosges department.
to the west and the Moselle
to the east. To the south-west, the line of crests connects to that at the far north-east of the Langres
plateau, the Langrois ouvert, where the Marne
rises. The waters of the southern slope of this terrain which extends from the Langres plateau to the "Monts Faucilles" feed into the Upper Saône basin.
The Apance forms at the far north-east of the territory of the Serqueux commune
within the territories of the communes of Larivière-Arnoncourt
and Mont-lès-Lamarche
, the latter being within the Vosges deparment in the Lorraine region. The springs which form the Apance run through the combe of Bas du Vau at the western border of a southern finger of the Morimond plateaux. The waters of the northern side of this plateau which seals the north-east of Bassigny feed into the upper Meuse basin. The aquifer
at the origin of this plateau is at the seat of sandstone
beds infraliasic of the Lower Rhaetian
. The lower bed is made of iridescent marl
s from the Upper Keuper
. The springs which flow out of this aqiufer are at an altitude of about 460 m.
The dominant east-west direction of the middle to lower course of the Apance, notwithstanding a southerly-oriented diversion, results from the orientation of main faces of the sides. Downstream of Larivière-Arnoncourt, the river valley progressively widens until its outflow into the weak depression of Bourbonne-les-bains. From Villars-Saint-Marcellin to Fresnes-sur-Apance, the lower valley tightens again before its intersection with the valley of the Saône, opening to the south towards the Jussey depression.The Apance drops by about 230 m from origin to its mouth, a gradient
of just less than 0.7%.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the East of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is one of the main tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
to the Upper Saône from the Champagne-Ardenne region
Champagne-Ardenne
Champagne-Ardenne is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium, and consists of four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. The region is famous for its sparkling white wine . Its rivers, most of which flow west, include the...
. It is the easternmost river of the region within the borders of Lorraine
Lorraine
-Places:* Lotharingia or Lorraine, a short-lived Kingdom in western Europe. Later an independent duchy from around 910 to its partition in 959 into:** Lower Lorraine, Duchy of Lower Lorraine, which is today roughly Belgium,...
and Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
.
Etymology
The name Apance is of unclear origin, but occurs as early as the 7th century, as "Spancia".Geography
The Apance is a right tributary of the Upper Saône (which refers to the part of the Saône upstream of its confluence with the DoubsDoubs
Doubs is a department the Franche-Comté region of eastern France named after the Doubs River.-History:As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the northern two-thirds of Doubs spoke the Franc-Comtois language, a dialect of Langue d'Oïl. Residents of the southern third of Doubs spoke a dialect...
. It rises in the northern border of Apance-Amance, a natural micro-region covering the south-western protrusions of the Saône plateaux where the Saône itself rises. Apance-Amance occupies the eastern part of the the Langres arrondissement which forms the south of the Haute-Marne department
Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne is a department in the northeast of France named after the Marne River.-History:Haute-Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, at the extreme south-east of the Champagne-Ardenne region. The name "Apance-Amance" refers to both the Apance river and another tributary of the upper Saône which rises in the region. The main part of the Apance's course occurs within the Bourbonne-les-Bains canton, which is the furthest east in Langres and the Champagne-Ardenne region.
The final part of the river and its confluence with the Upper Saône occur with the historic regions of Champagne, Lorraine and Franche-Comté. This is in the territory of the Châtillon-sur-Saône commune
Châtillon-sur-Saône
Châtillon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-References:*...
under the Vosges deparment, at the extreme south-west of Lorraine. The village from which the commune takes its name, is built on a spur
Spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids and to back up the natural aids . The spur is used in every equestrian discipline...
between the two rivers whose eastern foot dominates their confluence. The confluences is on the south-west border of la Vôge, the highest area in the Saône plateaux. These plateaux form the high upper-basin of the Vôge river, whose source is approximately 27 km north-east of its confluence with the Apnace. The Vôge river marks the north-eastern boundary of Apance-Amance, and covers part of the south-west quarter of the Vosges department and the far-North of the Haute-Saône department.
Tributaries
The main tributaries of the Apance are, from upstream to downstream:
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Communes
The Apance flows through the following communes and localities, from upstream to downstream:
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Fresnes-sur-Apance Fresnes-sur-Apance is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Haute-Marne department... Enfonvelle Enfonvelle is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.... Châtillon-sur-Saône Châtillon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-References:*... |
All these communes lie in the Bourbonne-les-bains Canton in the Haute-Marne department, except for Châtillon-sur-Saône, which lies in the Lamarche Canton in the Vosges department.
Hydrology
The Apance rises in the south side of a line of crests oriented north-north-east/south-south west, closing the east of Bassigny where the Meuse rises. In the north-east, this line is the continuation of the "Monts Faucilles", the name of the line of crests closing the north of la Vôge and where the Saône rises. The waters of the northen side of these "mountains" are shared between the MeuseMeuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
to the west and the Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
to the east. To the south-west, the line of crests connects to that at the far north-east of the Langres
Langres
Langres is a commune in north-eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne region.-History:As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then Lingones, and now Langres.The town is built on a limestone...
plateau, the Langrois ouvert, where the Marne
Marne
Marne is a department in north-eastern France named after the river Marne which flows through the department. The prefecture of Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne...
rises. The waters of the southern slope of this terrain which extends from the Langres plateau to the "Monts Faucilles" feed into the Upper Saône basin.
The Apance forms at the far north-east of the territory of the Serqueux commune
Serqueux
Serqueux may refer to the following places in France:* Serqueux, Haute-Marne, a commune in the Haute-Marne department* Serqueux, Seine-Maritime, a commune in the Seine-Maritime department...
within the territories of the communes of Larivière-Arnoncourt
Larivière-Arnoncourt
Larivière-Arnoncourt is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Haute-Marne department...
and Mont-lès-Lamarche
Mont-lès-Lamarche
Mont-lès-Lamarche is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-Geography:Mont-lès-Lamarche is positioned to the south of Lamarche and to the north of Bourbonne-les-Bains. Monthureux-sur-Saône is to the east and Jussey is 26 kilimeters to the south-south-east...
, the latter being within the Vosges deparment in the Lorraine region. The springs which form the Apance run through the combe of Bas du Vau at the western border of a southern finger of the Morimond plateaux. The waters of the northern side of this plateau which seals the north-east of Bassigny feed into the upper Meuse basin. The aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
at the origin of this plateau is at the seat of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
beds infraliasic of the Lower Rhaetian
Rhaetian
The Rhaetian is in geochronology the latest age of the Triassic period or in chronostratigraphy the uppermost stage of the Triassic system. It lasted from 203.6 ± 1.5 to 199.6 ± 0.6 million years ago...
. The lower bed is made of iridescent marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
s from the Upper Keuper
Keuper
The Keuper is a lithostratigraphic unit in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Keuper consists of dolostone, shales or claystones and evaporites that were deposited during the Middle and Late Triassic epochs...
. The springs which flow out of this aqiufer are at an altitude of about 460 m.
The dominant east-west direction of the middle to lower course of the Apance, notwithstanding a southerly-oriented diversion, results from the orientation of main faces of the sides. Downstream of Larivière-Arnoncourt, the river valley progressively widens until its outflow into the weak depression of Bourbonne-les-bains. From Villars-Saint-Marcellin to Fresnes-sur-Apance, the lower valley tightens again before its intersection with the valley of the Saône, opening to the south towards the Jussey depression.The Apance drops by about 230 m from origin to its mouth, a gradient
Gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar field is a vector field that points in the direction of the greatest rate of increase of the scalar field, and whose magnitude is the greatest rate of change....
of just less than 0.7%.