2024 Science Festival

BRGM is offering games about rocks, as well as a virtual walk.

• Rock game: this game teaches players to recognise different rocks or fossils. You'll need to use all your senses – sight, touch and sometimes even smell! It will showcase the exceptional heritage rock collection of the PACA region and introduce children to geology. What? Did you say the region was under the ocean a few million years ago? But how come there are volcanic rocks here?
• Mine game: this board game will introduce children to the fascinating world of mines and miners. Question by question, the children will work their way around the board and discover the historical and industrial heritage of the Gardanne region.
• Virtual potholing expedition: plunge into the depths of the Earth through a former mine gallery or underground quarries. The animation is in two parts: a video on the acquisition and processing of 3D data underground (about 5 minutes) is followed by a virtual potholing expedition, where participants go underground or hover above the void. Each person in turn will be given a 3D mouse so that they can move around the 3D scatter plot. This animation is a fun way to learn about underground voids and the problems they raise. It also provides an insight into an innovative technique for acquiring geometric data using a hand-held laser scanner.

Scientific talk with Bernard Monod and Pierre Le Cointe from BRGM on "Geology and how the Garonne fits into and shapes its context, and groundwater linked to the Garonne and how it is used".

Groundwater pollution, landslides, flooding, coastal erosion.

• Learn about natural hazards using models: landslides, flooding, coastal erosion, etc.
• Find out about anthropic risks using a model that simulates groundwater pollution
• Media screening of BRGM's work on natural hazards in Salazie
• Exhibition of BRGM projects on natural hazards in Réunion Island

Why is there a mine here? What is a mine? What are the consequences? What is in store for the region in the future?

At Saint-Sébastien-d'Aigrefeuille, the Carnoulès mines were exploited for silver-bearing lead from Roman times until 1963. Industrial mining has resulted in changes to the landscape, a number of buildings and a stock of mining waste (deposits of sulphide-rich sand) which has accumulated in the Reigoux valley (500,000 m³ of waste remain to this day).

On-site research has revealed exceptional levels of arsenic in the water. Laboratory tests and small-scale field trials carried out by HydroSciences Montpellier and its partners (BRGM, IMPMC, IRH-IC, SolEnvironment), funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche and ADEME, were conclusive and led to the discovery of bacteria capable of fixing arsenic, thus raising hopes of there being a natural way of eliminating a large proportion of the arsenic leaving the deposit. Research has also been carried out by INRAE in Montpellier and by FERTIL'INNOV on soil remediation. The laboratory tests were also conclusive and the first micro-plots were set up in the field, with very satisfactory revegetation results.

The Fête de la Science 2024, in partnership with Alès Agglomération, is an opportunity to highlight the scientific research that has enabled us to gain a better understanding of current phenomena and to envisage solutions.

With this in mind, a range of workshops and events have been devised with the help of a dozen partners: Cévennes National Park, CAUE du Gard, IMT Mines Alès, AGAR, HSM Montpellier-CNRS, Fertil'Innov-INRAE, CPIE du Gard, the association 1001 Mémoires, Enercoop, Charte Forestière du Pays des Cévennes & COFOR du Gard, EPTB Gardons, the association Voyages Culturels, and the beekeepers of L'arène des abeilles.

Geothermal energy is a renewable form of energy that harnesses the earth's heat.

To develop it, we need to know where the resources are, as they are not available everywhere, and therefore we need to know the subsurface better. How vibrating lorries give us a better understanding of the subsurface How does geothermal energy work? Follow the guides ... to find out all about a large truck that will soon be passing through Aix-en-Provence.

The French ecological transition agency (ADEME), the French Geological Survey (BRGM), the Région Sud, the Bouches-du-Rhône département and the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolitan authority have set up the Géoscan Arc project to identify the deep geothermal potential around the Etang de Berre.

The temperature of the subsurface rises by an average of 30°C per kilometre of depth. As a result, groundwater temperatures can reach between 30°C and 90°C.

Making the most of this local resource means that heating networks can be set up to heat urban districts in a sustainable way, or to meet industrial or agricultural needs.

This energy is not available in the same way everywhere and to develop it, you need to know the subsurface.

That's why the Géoscan Arc project involves the use of vibrating lorries right here, at the gateway to Parc Saint-Mitre.

How do these trucks work and what are they used for? What is Geothermal energy? Come and meet our experts who will explain everything, with models, maps, microscopes, etc.

Meet the scientists, visit the laboratories, watch demonstrations, take part in workshops, and more.

On 5 and 6 October, between 10am and 6pm, the CNRS campus at Orléans-La Source will be opening its doors to the general public. This only happens every 4 years. For this year's event, the laboratories are planning to explain their work, give tours of their facilities and take the time to talk with visitors. Other research establishments such as BRGM, INRAE, INRAP, the University of Orléans and MOBE will also be present at the event, along with associations that are involved in scientific outreach on a daily basis.

Groundwater pollution, landslides, flooding, coastal erosion.

• Learn about natural hazards using models: landslides, flooding, coastal erosion, etc.
• Find out about anthropic risks using a model that simulates groundwater pollution
• Media screening of BRGM's work on natural hazards in Salazie
• Exhibition of BRGM projects on natural hazards in Réunion Island

Explore the fascinating world of geology at the BRGM stand and enjoy a rich, entertaining experience.

Geoscience plays a key role in helping society adapt to today’s challenges, with particular reference to natural hazards, climate change and the energy transition. BRGM will present the various problems and challenges facing Martinique:

• groundwater in Martinique: resources and quality?
• beach erosion: what does the future hold?
• landslides: how can we better understand regional vulnerability in order to reduce the risks?

Part of the stand will also be devoted to the geology of Martinique, with an exhibition of posters and rocks representative of and linked to the island's most remarkable sites.