Marsh of
Lay-Saint-Rémy and Pagny-sur-Meuse

Occupying the former bed of the Moselle when it flowed into the Meuse around 350000 years ago, this cross-border marsh with the Meuse is bordered by the Paris-Strasbourg SNCF railway and the Marne-Rhine canal. It is an alkaline peat bog that was formed over the past 2000 years by the accumulation of peat to a thickness of 2.5 meters. Decomposition was blocked by an excess of calcareous water. Not liable to flooding but always saturated with water, this peaty soil has allowed the development of vegetation of calcareous springs, low peat bogs and low marshes. Municipalities concerned: Foug (54), Lay-St.-Rémy (54), Pagny-sur-Meuse (55)