The Limagne () is large plain in the Auvergne region of France in the valley of the Allier river, on the edge of the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

. It lies entirely within the ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

'' of

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; oc, label= Auvergnat, lo Puèi de Doma or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2019, it had a population of 662,152.Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

''Lacus Magnus'', or large lake.

Geology

The Limagne plain is a graben, downthrown from the Massif Central by a series of normal faults that border the western edge of the plain. It contains about 2 km of sediments, and the amount of stretching of the crust is estimated as 1.2–1.3. The rifting started in the Late

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', ...

and the main phase of subsidence continued into the Late Oligocene.Ziegler, P.A. 1990. Geological Atlas of Western Europe, Geological Society London, 256pp.
/ref> The Limagne Graben forms part of a system of linked rifts, including the Rhine Graben, known as the European Cenozoic Rift System, that formed in response to compressional deformation of the

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

foreland. Volcanism accompanied the rifting and continued into the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

. The sediments deposited in the basin are affected by numerous intrusions. The area was the first where

peperite A peperite is a type of volcaniclastic rock consisting of sedimentary rock that contains fragments of younger igneous material and is formed when magma comes into contact with wet sediments. The term was originally used to describe rocks from th ...

s were described, from a basaltic intrusion into lacustrine

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

. de Goer de Herve, A. 2008. Chapter 5, Peperites from the Limagne Trench (Auvergne, French Massif Central), a distinctive feature of phreatomagmatic pyroclastics. History of semantic drift. In: Leyrit, H. & Montenat, C. (Eds.) Volcaniclastic rocks, from magmas to sediments, Taylor & Francis, 270pp.
/ref>

Economy

The Limagne is a very fertile plain and is mainly an area of cereal production, with some tobacco and

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet ('' Beta vulgaris''). Together ...

. Vineyards are found along the borders of the plain on the edge of the Massif Central, particularly at

Corent Corent is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. It sits approximately 2 miles north of Les Martres-de-Veyre on the side of the old volcanic Puy de Corent. In 2001 excavation began on a Gallic (Ce ...

and

Châteaugay Châteaugay (; oc, label=Auvergnat, Chasteugai) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 communes ...

Main sites of interest

Auzon Auzon (; oc, Auson) is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Haute-Loire department *Franks Casket The Franks Casket (or the Auzon Casket) is a small Anglo-Saxon whale's bon ...

– Medieval village with a romanesque church * Brioude – The basilica of St Julien *

Château de Ravel The Château de Ravel is a castle situated in the ''commune'' of Ravel, in the ''département'' of Puy-de-Dôme, France. The castle of Revel was begun by Bernard de Revel, noted in 1171. Purchased by Philip III of France in 1283, it was given by ...

* Effiat – For its château *

Issoire Issoire (; Auvergnat: ''Issoire'', ''Ussoire'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. Geography Issoire is located on the river Couze, near its confluence with the Allier, SSE of Clermont-Ferrand on the P ...

– Romanesque basilica *

Mozac Abbey Mozac Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery in the commune of Mozac near Riom in Auvergne, France. History A monastery was founded here in either 533 or 680 by Saint Calminius (''Saint Calmin'') and his wife, Saint Namadia. Calminius is said to ...

– Celebrated for its romanesque sculptures * Riom –

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

city, one of the

French Towns and Lands of Art and History Since 1985, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication has pursued a policy of preserving and promoting France's heritage. Historic towns and districts have been designated ''Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire'' ("Towns and Lands of Art and ...

* Usson, Puy-de-Dôme – Ruined fortress walls and the columnar jointed basalt, ''orgues basaltique''. At the top of the butte, a statue of the virgin Mary and a panoramic view. * Parentignat — For its 18th century château with its English garden, and the suspension bridge built in 1830.

References

{{Authority control Landforms of Puy-de-Dôme Massif Central Plains of France Landforms of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes