The BRGM publishing branch (Éditions du BRGM) has added to its "Geological Curiosities" collection with the release of a guidebook on the Corrèze département. Written by two geologists from the region, this book is an invitation to walk around and discover the subsurface of the département.
2 July 2019
Cover of the guidebook

Cover of the guidebook.

© BRGM 

With its picturesque houses of Collonges-la-Rouge, the open plateaux and granite boulder fields of Millevaches , the outlier hill of Turenne, the deep valleys and medieval fortresses of the Xaintrie, Corrèze is a département of very rich diversity, and home to some of the most beautiful villages in France. The result of a complex geological history of more than 500 million years, its territory contains major environmental curiosities and mineral resources that have shaped the economy of many municipalities.

Corrèze, a region intimately linked to its subsurface

In the Limousin region, especially in Corrèze, there is a close link between the stones and the inhabitants, as evidenced by the megaliths and the various mineral resources of the region. The guidebook includes twenty-six particularly demonstrative and educational Correzian sites: the organ-pipe rock formations of Bort, the waterfalls of Gimel, the slate quarries of Travassac, the Turenne outlier hill , the sandstones of Collonges-la-rouge, etc.

The guidebook is an excellent tool to help promote and protect the area's geological heritage. It was written by two geologists from the region:

  • Nicolas BOST has a PhD in geology. He worked on the origins of life and exploration of the planet Mars. He is currently working on industrial minerals.
  • Nicolas CHARLES also has a PhD in geology. He works at BRGM (French geological survey). He is the author of several books on France’s geological heritage.

This guide book is one of the publications in the “Geological Curiosities” collection from Éditions du BRGM, which now comprises 24 titles.

A collection of 24 books

This book further enriches the Geological Curiosities collection published by the French Geological Survey publications branch (Éditions du BRGM).

The Éditions du BRGM aim to make a complex field of research accessible to the general public by explaining the processes of rock formation over geological time periods, illustrated by examples from the field.

The Geological Curiosities collection opens up the geology of different French regions to a wide audience. The books also include trails and circuits for discovering plants, wildlife, architecture and culture in general. All these different aspects are linked to specific local environments, which are often shaped by the history and nature of the subsurface.

Curiosités géologiques de la Corrèze (Geological curiosities of Corrèze), by Nicolas Bost and Nicolas Charles.

On sale at Éditions du BRGM.

2019 - 114 pages– €19