Reconnu depuis une vingtaine d’années seulement, le patrimoine géologique français fait aujourd’hui l’objet d’un inventaire raisonné. L’un des responsables de l’opération lancée officiellement en 2007 présente ici les principaux éléments du dispositif mis en place pour distinguer d’une manière homogène et cohérente ces objets géologiques remarquables.

In recent years, interest in geoheritage among scientists and the broader public alike seems to be growing. However, concern for geological heritage is relatively late, compared to that of living heritage. Actions for protections have long remained marginal. The increase in the number of views on this notion has gone along with a reflection on its meaning and a multiplication of the number of laws to accommodate situations and be able to take into account the diversity of possible cases. In this paper, after a historical review, we propose a synthesis of this notion of geoheritage, as it is currently underway in France. We support our point on specific examples, and especially those that have an echo at the international level: in stratigraphy, for example, with the list of stages based on French localities, as well as in petrography and mineralogy with the lithotypes or minerals whose name is linked to the territory. Finally, we deal with the legal aspects, which apply to objects (movable geoheritage), geosites, especially with recent developments because of these texts, and databases that govern the operation and current development of geoheritage.

Remerciements was published in Quand la vie fabrique les roches on page 3.

4. De la vie à la roche was published in Quand la vie fabrique les roches on page 29.