"Bois du Four" is a important sedimentary "geosite" (UNESCO geological site) : in this place, the sedimentary flap is of remarkable paleontological interest. On the spot, a stratisgraphic cut makes it possible to better understand things.
Monts d'Ardèche contain treasures for warned or amateur geologists, but these treasures are often ignored by the general public. In the territory of Monts d'Ardèche Regional Nature Park, there is no lack for a complete approach to geology : indeed, all the eras have been represented there for more than 550 million years !
The team of the Monts d'Ardèche Régional Natural Park has identified, with the help of local geologists and academics, "geosites" which are remarkable geological sites thanks to their aesthetic, pedagogical quality and their rarity. They are real places of understanding of the history of the earth, to the extent that their discovery also allows us to better understand human history.
"Bois du Four" is a important sedimentological "geosite" (sandstones and limestones with lamellibranchs or gastropods fossils and some articles of crinoids). It has a thin deposit (less than 10 meters thick) of Hettangian limestone (-203 to -200 million years) formed while Ardèche was occupied by the sea in the lower and middle Jurassic. This set rests on the Rhétien limestones, which rest themselves on the Triassic sandstones (predominant rock on the commune of Vernoux-en-Vivarais). At "Bois du Four", the limestones are basically marly gray-blue limestones with very fine grains. This sedimentary flap is remarkably palaeontologically interesting : it shows the faunas and natures of rocks of the calcaréo-sandstone series north of Privas, with numerous with lamellibranchs or gastropods fossils and some articles of crinoids.
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