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In French, such structures are referred to as Demoiselles Coiffées ("ladies with hats"), or more often Cheminées de Fées ("fairy chimneys"). In Théus, there is a concentration referred to as La Salle de Bal des Demoiselles Coiffées ("the ballroom of ladies with hats"), although these structures also exist in isolation. Two other significant sites exist 1 kilometer away on a mountainside near Remollon.

Formation
These structures arose out of Würmian moraines: heterogenous, non-stratified, and poorly consolidated conglomerate. When erosion exposed a resistant block, water would run around it and erode the finer periphery, leaving a pedestal below that resistant point. The summit acts as an umbrella, preventing the structure from being further eroded by rain. The water contained mineral salts which hardened and calcified the columns. They are distinct from visually similar structures, like the fairy chimneys in Cappadocia which are of volcanic origin.

Recreation
Hiking trails emerge from the nearby villages of Théus and Remollon, taking hikers as close as 50 meters to the base of a Demoiselle Coiffée. The hike from Théus is four kilometers long and passes an observation area.