Les Fours à Chaux Du Rey
©Les Fours à Chaux Du Rey|Département de la Manche

Limestone Landscapes

LIMESTONE LANDSCAPES

The subsoil of the Regnéville area is partly made up of very old limestone (340 to 350 million years). Being relatively easy to extract, the limestone rocks have left their mark on the landscape and old buildings.

Montmartin limestone

The layers of limestone and conglomerate

The Montmartin limestone, recognisable by its fine grain and light blue tone, constitutes the highest part of the landscape situated in front of you. The limestone is layered on reddish conglomerate or grey sandstone. You can easily recognise these rocks in the walls that you walk past.

 

Montmartin limestone resurgences and springs

The high part of the landscape is permeated by a vast network of water courses, infiltrating through the Montmartin Limestone. These springs appear at the ground surface at the junction with the conglomerate and the sandstone.

 

The uses of limestone

Construction: The castle, church and the village of Regnéville are built from Montmartin limestone, sandstone or reddish conglomerate. On the higher parts of the landscape, the buildings are constructed almost exclusively from limestone.

Boundary walls

The limestone boundary walls built around Regnéville are an original alternative protection against the wind. The near wall along the lane is made from rocks extracted from the subsoil but also stones originating from the castle. Another original feature of Regnéville is the boundary gates which are mounted through a drilled stone, acting as an upper hinge.

 

Lime

The limestone of Montmartin and Regnéville has been worked since the 19th century in four lime kilns situated on the high ground. A visit to the lime kilns at Rey half-way round the trail is well worth a stop to learn more about the production of lime from limestone.

 

> In your opinion, which sedimentary rock is the oldest ? The reddish conglomerate situated underneath or the blue-toned limestone situated above ?
Answer : The sedimentary rock making up layers, one on top of each other. The reddish conglomerate underneath is therefore the oldest.

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