The early geological exploration of the Nice region (French Maritime Alps) in the late 18th-19th centuries

At the southeastern termination of France, the Nice region during the late 18th-19th centuries represented one of the liveliest hearts of the geological ferment in Europe. The 'capital' of the French Riviera, this city attracted scores of renowned European naturalists including famous British geologists such as Thomas Allan, William Buckland, Henry Thomas De la Beche and Charles Lyell. Together with their local colleagues, these scientists contributed to shape the geological knowledge about this part of the Maritime Alps, and laid the foundations to the systematic and modern geological studies which have been carried out in this region starting from the second half of the 19th Century.