The Landforms and Landscapes of France provides an informative and attractive overview of the most scenic landscapes of France. The geodiversity of France is emphasized, for example the glacial landscapes of the Mont-Blanc Massif, the volcanoes of the French Massif Central, the chalk cliffs and sand dunes of the Atlantic coast, the granitic landscapes of Corsica or the lagoons and coral reefs of French Polynesia. The objectives are to provide the reader with an enjoyable and informative description of the selected sites within their regional geographical and geological settings; to offer an up-to-date survey of the evolution of France's landscape; and to give additional information on the cultural value of the selected sites wherever appropriate (prehistoric paintings, legends related to sites, famous vineyards, etc.). The book is a richly illustrated reference work that makes accessible for the first time a wealth of information currently scattered among many national and regional journals. It will be of benefit to earth scientists, environmental scientists, tourism geographers and conservationists

Contenu

Foreword.- General introduction to the landscapes and landforms of France.- Paris and the Seine River: antic sites, underground resources, and risks.- The Seine River from Ile de France to Normandy: geomorphological and cultural landscapes of a large meandering valley.- The High Normandy chalk cliffs: an inspiring geomorphosite for painters and novelists.- The Mont-Saint-Michel Bay: an exceptional megatidal environment influenced by natural evolution and man-made modifications.- The "Pink Granite" coast (Northern Brittany).- Another Loire: the Armorican Loire .- The Arcachon Bay estuary: a "collage" of landscapes.- The volcanic Chaine des Puys: a unique collection of simple and compound monogenetic edifices.- Velay-Mezenc Massif: Harsh Volcanic Highlands around the Loire River Springs.- The Cirque de Navacelles: A Major Geomorphosite in the Grands Causses karstic Region.- The Gavarnie Cirque : a celebrated, natural site straddling the Central Pyrenees.- The Têt river valley: a condensed record of long-term landscape evolution in the Pyrenees.- The Vosgian-Alsatian side of the Rhine Graben: a unique, tectonically controlled and manmade landscape.- Jura Blind Valleys, Springs and Vineyards.- Glacial imprint on the main ridge of the Vosges Mountains.- On the roof of Europe: high altitude morphodynamics in the Mont Blanc Massif.- In the folds of the Earth: French Prealpine geomorphological landscapes.- Morphologies induced by the Messinian Salinity Crisis on karst landscape and caves: example of the Lower Ardèche River (mid Rhône Valley).- The Lower Valley and the Delta of the Rhône River: Water Landscapes of Nature and History.- Glacial landscapes and Protohistoric cultural héritage of the Mount Bego region, Southern French Alps.- Karst memories above and beneath the sea: Marseilles and itscontinental shelf during the Cosquer cave occupation.- Calanchi, Basi, Taffonis : Scenic granitic landscapes of Corsica.- Singular coral reef and lagoon geomorphology in French Polynesia.- La Réunion Island: A typical example of a basaltic shield volcano with rapid evolution.