According to the Geological (Figure 1.

0 ), the site is underlain by eluvial and alluvial

formations that are characterised by detrital facies. The superficial alluvium is
constituted mainly of pebbles and gravels that result from the dismantling of
basaltic formations situated upstream. The possible origins of the pebbles in these
formations are firstly the accumulation of boulders coming from weathered
volcanic flows cleaned of their clayish coat and secondly the accumulation of
basalt blocks rolled and smoothed through fluvial transportation. The Geological
also identifies fresh basalt of the Younger Volcanic Series that are characterised by
uniform doleritic facies mainly to the east of the site. These lavas are light greyish in
colour and show many phenocrysts (large crystal surrounded by a finer-grained
matrix in an igneous rock) of olivine scattered in the doleritic network of feldspars
and pyroxenes (silicate minerals). They are often porous and vesicular and show
many cracks and fissures, but they are also sometimes compact. Scoriaceous
textures are common, mainly at the upper and lower parts of the flows. Weathering
is in general not important and is very often in concentric beds production oniontype alteration structures.