Ochre processing

Through washing, then decanting in large basins, to drying, crushing and baking, a large scale of natural pigment was made, with a variety of colours. Developed in the late 18th century, the industrial process for making ochre pigment reaches its high point in the 1920s. Today, the Société des Ocres de France still operates a quarry in Gargas and produces 1200 tons of ochre per year.