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PUY

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Originally appearing in Volume V22, Page 675 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PUY , a See also:

geological See also:term used locally in See also:Auvergne for a volcanic See also:hill. Most of the puys of central See also:France are small cinder-cones, with or without associated See also:lava, whilst others are domes of trachytic See also:rock, like the domite of the Puy-de-See also:Dome. The puys may be scattered as isolated hills, or, as is more usual, clustered together, sometimes in lines. The See also:chain of puys in central France probably became See also:extinct in See also:late prehistoric See also:time. Other volcanic hills more or less like those of Auvergne are also known to geologists as puys; examples may be found in the See also:Eifel and in the small cones on the See also:Bay of See also:Naples, whilst the See also:relics of denuded puys are numerous in the Swabian See also:Alps of See also:Wurttemberg, as pointed out by W. See also:Branco. See also:Sir A. See also:Geikie has shown that the puy type of eruption was See also:common in the See also:British See also:area in Carboniferous and See also:Permian times, as abundantly attested in central See also:Scotland by remains of the old volcanoes, now generally reduced by denudation to the See also:mere See also:neck, or volcanic vent, filled with See also:tuff and See also:agglomerate, or plugged with lava. See Sir A. Geikie, See also:Ancient Volcanoes of See also:Great See also:Britain (1897). PUY-DE-DOME, a See also:department of central France, four-fifths of which belonged to Basse-Auvergne, one See also:sixth to Bourbonnais, and the See also:remainder to Forez (Lyonnais). Area, 3094 sq. m.

Pop. (1906), 535,419. It is bounded N. by See also:

Allier, E. by See also:Loire, S. by Haute-Loire and See also:Cantal, and W. by See also:Correze and See also:Creuse. The highest point of the department, the Puy de See also:Sancy (6188 ft.), is also the most elevated See also:peak of central France; it commands the See also:group of the volcanic Monts See also:Dore, so remarkable for their rocky corries, their erosion valleys, their See also:trap dykes and orgues of See also:basalt, their lakes sleeping in the depths of ancient craters or confined in the valleys by streams of lava, and their wide plains of pasture-See also:land. The Puy de Sancy, forming See also:part of the See also:watershed, gives rise on its See also:northern slope to the See also:Dordogne, and on the See also:east to the Couze, a sub-tributary of the Loire, through the Allier. The Monts Dore are joined to the mountains of Cantal by the non-volcanic group of the Cezallier, of which the highest peak, the Luguet (5102 ft.), rises on the confines of Puyde-Dome and Cantal. On the See also:north the Monts Dore are continued by a See also:plateau of a mean height of from 3000 to 3500 ft., upon which are seen sixty cones raised by volcanic outbursts in former times. These are the Monts Dome, which extend from See also:south to north as far as See also:Riom, the most remarkable being the Puy-de-Mme (4800 ft.), from which the department takes its name, and the Puy-de-Pariou, the latter having a See also:crater more than 300 ft. in See also:depth. A meteorological See also:observatory occupies the See also:summit of the Puy-de-Dome, which was once crowned by a See also:Roman See also:temple, the ruins of which still exist. To the east of the depart-ment, along the confines of Loire, are the Monts du Forez, rising to 5380 ft. and continued north by the Bois Noirs. Between these mountains and the Dome extends the fertile See also:plain of Limagne. The drainage of Puy-de-Dome is divided between the Loire, by its affluents the Allier and the See also:Cher, and the See also:Gironde, by the Dordogne.

The Allier traverses the department from south to north, receiving on its right the Dore, which falls into the Allier at the northern boundary and lowest level of the department (879 ft.); on its See also:

left are the Alagnon from the Cantal, the two Couzes from the Luguet and the Monts Dore, and the Sioule, the most important of all, which drains the north-See also:west slopes of the Monts Dore and Dome, and joins the Allier beyond the limits of the department. The Cher forms for a See also:short space the boundary between the departments of Puy-de-Dome and Creuse, See also:close to that of Allier. The Dordogne, while still scarcely formed, flows past Mont-Dore-See also:les-Bains and La Bourboule and is lost in a deep valley which divides this department from that of Correze. None of these streams is navigable, but boats can be used on the Allier during floods. The See also:climate of Puy-de-Dome is usually very severe, owing to its high level and its distance from the See also:sea; the mildest See also:air is found in the northern valleys, where the See also:elevation is least. During summer the hills about Clermont-See also:Ferrand, exposed to the See also:sun, become all the hotter because their See also:black volcanic See also:soil absorbs its rays. On the See also:average 25 or 26 in. of See also:rain fall in the See also:year; in the Limagne around which the mountains See also:arrest the clouds rainfall is less. Nevertheless the soil of this plain, consisting of alluvial deposits of volcanic origin, and watered by torrents and streams from the mountains, makes it one of the richest regions of France. In the highest altitudes the rainfall attains 64 in. Al out two-thirds of the inhabitants of Puy-de-Dome are engaged in See also:agriculture. The Limagne yields a variety of products and the See also:vine flourishes on its hill-sides. The high mountains provide pasture for large flocks of cows and See also:sheep, and See also:cheese-making is an See also:industry of much importance.

The intermediate region is cultivated chiefly for cereals, the See also:

chief of which are See also:rye, See also:wheat, oats and See also:barley. Potatoes are largely grown, and, to a less extent, peas, beans, beetroot and colza. The Limagne produces fruits of all kinds—apricots, cherries, See also:pears, walnuts and apples, from which considerable quantities of See also:cider are made. The department possesses considerable See also:mineral See also:wealth. There are important See also:coal-mines at Brassac on the Allier, on the See also:borders of Haute-Loire, at St Eloy near the department of Allier, and at Bourg-Lastic on the borders of Correze. See also:Peat, See also:asphalt, bituminous See also:schists, See also:antimony, See also:mispickel and argentiferous See also:lead are also worked. Of the last named there are mines and fcundries at Pontgibaud on the Sioule. Amethysts and other rare minerals are found and there are numerous See also:stone-quarries. The watering-places of Mont Dore, See also:Royat and La Bourboule receive See also:separate See also:notice. The springs of St Nectaire, containing See also:sodium and See also:iron chlorides and bicarbonates, are efficacious in See also:liver complaints, See also:rheumatism and See also:gravel. The See also:waters of See also:Chateauneuf (on the Sioule), also known to the See also:Romans, contain iron bicarbonates and are resorted to for skin diseases. Those of Chatelguyon, like the waters of See also:Carlsbad and See also:Marienbad, are used for disorders of the See also:digestive See also:organs, congestions of the liver, rheumatism, &c.

There are many other mineral springs of varied See also:

character. Manufactures are for the most part grouped around See also:Thiers, which produces a large amount of cheap See also:cutlery, See also:paper and See also:leather, and Clermont-Ferrand, the See also:capital. The department contains factories for See also:lace and See also:braid (in the mountains), for buntings and camlets and See also:wool, See also:cotton and See also:hemp See also:mills. There are wool-See also:carding See also:works and factories for linens, cloths and See also:counter-panes, also See also:silk-mills, tanneries, manufactories for See also:chamois and other leathers, for caoutchouc (Clermont-Ferrand), See also:sugar-works, manufactures of edible pastes with a reputation as high as those of See also:Italy, and manufactures of See also:fruit-preserves. The department exports See also:grain, fruits, See also:cattle, wines, cheese, See also:wood, mineral waters, cutlery, &c. It is served by the See also:Orleans and See also:Paris-See also:Lyon railway companies. Many thousands of the inhabitants, belonging chiefly to the See also:district of See also:Ambert, leave it during See also:winter and find See also:work elsewhere as navvies, See also:chimney-sweeps, See also:pit-sawyers, &c. The department comprises 5 arrondissements—Clermont-Ferrand, Ambert, See also:Issoire, Riom, Thiers -50 cantons and 471 communes. It is included in the bishopric and academie (educational See also:division) of Clermont-Ferrand and the region of the XIII. See also:army See also:corps, of which the headquarters are in the same See also:town; the See also:appeal See also:court is at Riom. The more noteworthy places in the department are Clermont-Ferrand, Issoire, Thiers, Riom, Ambert, Mont-Dore-les-Bains, La Bourboule and Royat (all separately noticed). Near Clermont-Ferrand is Mont Gergovie (see GERGOVI.A) the See also:scene of the victory of Vercingetorix over See also:Julius See also:Caesar. Other places of See also:interest are Billom, Chamalieres, Courpiere, Orcival, St Nectaire and St Saturnin, which possess churches in the Romanesque See also:style of Auvergne.

There are ruined feudal strongholds of great interest at Murols and Tournoel (near Volvic). Vic-le-See also:

Comte has a sainte-chapelle which is a beautiful example of the transition from See also:Gothic to See also:Renaissance See also:architecture, and Aigueperse has a Gothic See also:church of the 13th to the 15th See also:century. Near Pontgibaud are the ruins (13th century) of the Carthusian See also:abbey of See also:Port St See also:Marie.

End of Article: PUY

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