The Causses are a group of limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...

s (700–1,200 m) in the Massif Central

Massif Central

The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....

. They are bordered to the north-west by the Limousin

Limousin (région)

Limousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...

 and the Périgord

Périgord

The Périgord is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région. It is divided into four regions, the Périgord Noir , the Périgord Blanc , the Périgord Vert and the Périgord Pourpre...

 uplands, and to the east by the Aubrac

Aubrac

Aubrac is a town in the southern Massif Central of France. The name is also applied to the surrounding landscape, which is properly called L'Aubrac in French. The Aubrac region has been a member of the Natura 2000 network since August 2006...

 and the Cévennes

Cévennes

The Cévennes are a range of mountains in south-central France, covering parts of the départements of Gard, Lozère, Ardèche, and Haute-Loire.The word Cévennes comes from the Gaulish Cebenna, which was Latinized by Julius Caesar to Cevenna...

. Large river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 gorges cut through the plateaus, such as the Tarn

Gorges du Tarn

The Gorges du Tarn is a canyon formed by the Tarn River between the Causse Méjean and the Causse de Sauveterre, in southern France. The canyon, mainly located in the Lozère département, and partially in the Aveyron département, is about -long and 400m to 600m deep.-Geography:The architecture of...

, Dourbie

Dourbie

Dourbie is also a tributary of the Hérault river-----The Dourbie is a 72 km long river in southern France, left tributary of the Tarn River. Its source is north of Le Vigan, in the Cévennes...

, Jonte, Lot

Lot River

The Lot, , originally the Olt , is a river in France, right tributary of the Garonne. It rises in the Cévennes, flowing west through Quercy, where it flows into the Garonne near Aiguillon, a total distance of...

 and Aveyron

Aveyron River

The Aveyron is a 291 km long river in southern France, right tributary of the Tarn River. It rises in the southern Massif Central, near Sévérac-le-Château....

. Causse is an Occitan word meaning "limestone plateau".

Arranged from the north-west to the south-east, the following plateaus are found:

• the Causses du Quercy:
  • the causse de Martel (Lot
    Lot (département)
    Lot is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot River.- History :Lot is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Languedoc. In 1808, some of the original southeastern cantons were...
    
    )
  • the causse de Gramat (Lot)
  • the causse de Limogne (Lot)
  • the causse corrèzien (Corrèze
    Corrèze
    Corrèze is a department in south central France, named after the Corrèze River.The inhabitants of the department are called Corréziens or Corréziennes according to gender.-History:...
    
    )
• the Grands Causses:
  • the causse du Comtal (Aveyron
    Aveyron
    Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
    
    )
  • the causse de Sévérac (Aveyron)
  • the causse de Sauveterre (Lozère
    Lozère
    Lozère , is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central, named after Mont Lozère.- History :Lozère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
    
    )
  • the causse Méjean
    Causse Méjean
    Causse Méjean is a limestone plateau in the Lozère department, in southern France.-See also:* Causses* Gorges du Tarn* Cévennes National Park...
    
     (Lozère)
  • the causse Noir (Aveyron)
  • the causse du Larzac (Aveyron and Hérault
    Hérault
    Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
    
    )

Many sites on the Causses are included in Natura 2000

Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...

, notably the Parc Naturel Régional des Grands Causses on the Larzac, Méjean, and Noir plateaus.

External links

• http://www.gorgesdutarn.net/?lang=en