The village of Barles is worldwide known among geologists for the peculiarities of its territory, where giant fossil ammonites can be found which date back to 200 million years ago. The area is protected as the Réserve naturelle géologique de Haute Provence, and a fossils exhibition can be visited short before arriving to the village. Barles has a mining past, linked to the slate quarries and to the lime kilns and mills. There were also modest seams of copper, silver and coal, up to the II world war.