Original Record Source.
View the original record authored by ‘Helena Mottram’ at ‘METEORED (Your Weather)’ via recovered Helion Archive database link:
Drought: the ‘diamond of the Pyrenees’ uncovered by the Gave de Pau attracts rock hunters
An ancient geological treasure that has become much more accessible because of exceptionally low water levels: this is what the groups working to protect the Gave de Pau are concerned about and warning against. The river flows through south-western France, across the Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions.
“The calcite found in the bed of the Gave de Pau is of spectacular purity,” explains Le Parisien. “It forms geodes lined with exceptionally clear crystals, whose transparency and brilliance are reminiscent of the most precious of minerals, diamonds.”
Drought reveals an astonishing treasure in the Gave de Pau
After a particularly harsh and hot summer, water levels in rivers are exceptionally low. This is the case with the Gave de Pau, where the receding water has recently exposed more rocks and conglomerates — a type of sedimentary rock in which the famous calcite geodes are hidden.
Why are they called the ‘diamonds of the Pyrenees’?
They are obviously not real diamonds, but calcite so pure that it resembles the …….
English