“…The main karstified gypsum sequences in France include gypsiferous Triassic strata in Provence and those in the Alps near Beaufortin and Mont Cenis, and Palaeogene (Lutetian and Ludien) gypsum in the Paris Basin (Nicod, 1976(Nicod, , 1992(Nicod, , 1993. Gypsum has long been exploited in mines (the Catacombs) and pits beneath Paris, giving rise to the English term "Plaster of Paris".…”