Cet ouvrage présente un site qui a révélé au cours des années de nombreuses richesses. Un site économique, une carrière en exploitation, et en même temps, un «haut lieu» pour les sciences de la Terre, qui a contribué à d'importantes collections de fossiles et de minéraux et qui a permis de décrire nombre de processus géologiques.

Les publications sur la paléontologie de notre région ne sont certes pas très nombreuses. On trouve quelques articles dans les revues scientifiques destinées aux spécialistes et, ici ou là, un exposé dans une publication grand public. Une monographie comme la présente qui fait vivre aux lecteurs les motivations tant des collectionneurs que des scientifiques est plutôt rare. Les collectionneurs recherchent, préparent et exposent les minéraux et fossiles en premier lieu parce qu'ils sont particuliers, et de beaux témoins d'un passé lointain. Les mêmes objets constituent des outils de travail nécessaires aux scientifiques pour parler de la systématique du monde vivant, de l'évolution de la vie mais, aussi, du paléoenvironnement et des ressources minérales.

The word “clays” was assigned early to fine grained material in geological formations (Agricola 1546) or soils (de Serres 1600). Clays have been identified as mineral species in the begining of the 19th century in the production of ceramic materials (Brongniart 1844). Then Ebelmen (1847) carefully analyzed the decomposition of rocks under chemical attack and the way that porcelain can be commonly made. Since this pionner works, the definition of clays has varied.

Whether they’re stories about kings and queens, adventurers, wars, empires, or curses, the best stories are always about treasure. From sunken pirate ships to wicked diamonds to cities of gold, its sinister sparkle has a singular ability to bring out the very best and the very worst in each of us. History, mythology, or pure fantasy, the best stories all have that one thing in common: they all have something glittering at their heart. <...>

Crystal growth of diamonds at the Earth’s mantle depths of 150–800 km had been accompanied by a fragmentary capturing minerals, melts and volatile compounds (as diamond-hosted inclusions) from the parental melts. This indicates convincingly that diamonds were originated jointly with the phases of primary hermetic inclusions in a common parental medium. This opens up possibilities for evaluating the general chemistry of natural diamond-producing systems from the compositions of significantly different phases associated with diamonds in primary inclusions. Of particular value is that it has been made possible to determine the boundary compositions for the experimental systems which duplicate the natural ones responsible for genesis of diamonds and associated phases. As a consequence, the principal problems of diamond genetic mineralogy may be formulated. It became apparent, that the methodology of physico-chemical experiments is of crucial importance in solution of the genetic problems for diamonds and associated phases. <...>