Geological heritage

Serpentinite near Jumilhac-le-Grand

Serpentinite is a black rock often streaked with green, a relic from the bottom of an ocean that disappeared around 350 million years ago and rich in heavy metals.

Moss and lichens grow on these ultrabasic soils. In the crevices different ferns settle: the capillary of the walls, as well as a particular form called the serpentinicole form of the Black Doradilla. The outcrops are home to a small fleshy plant with yellow flowers: stonecrop or wall pepper. Once these pioneers are established, other species take their place, such as the pinnate brachypode, expanding the environment until the formation of a heath with gorse and heather, notably the wandering heather, and which can also accommodate the hairy broom, or the common juniper, whose berries flavor some of our dishes. Among the fauna of the moor, noteworthy in the air, the hen harrier and the nightjar. Going back to the north, we find these same serpentine moors at Champagnac-la-Rivière.

The Rochechouart meteorite

Further north still, the canton of Rochechouart conceals one of the greatest geological curiosities in Europe.

More than 200 million years ago, a meteorite with a diameter of at least 1,5 km crashed there. The impact melted the gneisses and granites, causing the formation of impactites, used in local buildings. The crater, approximately 20 km in diameter, is now worn away by erosion. This vast plain is flown over by a good number of butterflies: peacock of the day, Spanish tobacco, Robert the devil, sylvan, cerulean and as many birds: oak jay, honey buzzard, common buzzard.

To find out more, visit the website Rochechouart Nature Reserve!

Quartz and Kaolin

In the Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche region there are deposits of gold, quartz, but also kaolin, used in the manufacture of the famous Limoges porcelain.