Dolomite in France
November 19, 2005
Provided and copyright by: Norbert Rumiano
Summary authors & editors: Norbert Rumiano
The photo above showing a column of dolomite was taken from Nimes-le-Vieux, France on August 14, 2005. Approximately 250 million years ago, a warm sea covered the center of what is now France. On this sea bed or floor, sediments were gently deposited over the eons, forming a large thickness of limestone. Here, dolomite, a magnesium based rock was also formed. Nearly 130 million years later, after a geological upthrust, the sea departed, and the limestone began to erode. Because dolomite is harder than limestone, it's more resistant to the forces of wind and water. Eventually, only dolomite rocks remained, some of which have curious shapes, like here in Nimes-le-Vieux, on the Causse Méjean.
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