Geological features of the Brive Basin
The morphological structure of the Brive basin can be broken down into two main areas: a plateau area made up of crystalline rocks in the north-east, bordered in the centre by a hilly area made up of sedimentary formations from the Upper Palaeozoic, and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the south-west.
Geology of the Brive area
The piedmont of the Massif Central and gateway to the Aquitaine Basin, the Brive region is a contact zone between two geological units, marking the transition between the poor soils of a Hercynian massif and the more generous limestone soils of a secondary-age sedimentary basin.
Several types of rock
- Slate: often used for roofing, comes from metamorphic rocks formed by the alteration of clay deposits under the effect of high pressure and temperature. Its presence in the Brive Basin indicates the past existence of conditions conducive to this type of metamorphism, probably linked to ancient mountain ranges and the compression of sediments.
Don't miss a visit to the Pans de Travassac (open-air slate quarries), the only site of its kind in Europe!
- Red sandstone and yellow sandstone: Sandstone is a sedimentary rock formed by the cementation of grains of sand. The colour of sandstone can vary depending on the minerals it contains: iron gives red hues, while lighter components can give a yellow or grey colour. The presence of sandstone in the Brive Basin bears witness to ancient desert or coastal environments where sand was abundant.
Beige sandstone was used to build the beautiful buildings and remarkable monuments of Brive, Ussac and Objat . Red sandstone gave its distinctive colour to Collonges-La-Rouge, Cosnac and St-Bonnet-La-Rivière...
- Limestone: Limestone consists mainly of calcium carbonate, often derived from marine, lacustrine or fluvial deposits of shells, skeletons and other debris of calcifying organisms. Its presence indicates periods when the region was under water or constituted a flood plain rich in aquatic life.
The limestones on the margins of the Causse du Quercy and the Plaine d'Aquitaine vary in colour from white to beige and many shades of yellow. Don't miss a visit to Turenne or Noailles.
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