Puy Mary, Extinct volcano in Cantal, France

Puy Mary is an extinct volcano in the Cantal range of the Massif Central, with a summit that reaches 1,783 meters (5,850 feet). Seven glacial valleys radiate from its pyramid-shaped peak, forming a star pattern of deep cuts across the landscape.

Puy Mary is about 6.5 million years old. It formed as viscous trachyte lava, rich in sanidine and tridymite, piled up above the volcano's feeding chimney, creating a dome. Quaternary glaciers then eroded this dome into its present pyramidal horn shape, and seven glacial valleys now radiate from the summit.

The name is sometimes linked to Marius, a 3rd- or 4th-century disciple of Saint Austremoine whose relics are kept at the basilica of Mauriac; linguist Jean Roux instead derives it from the west or "marine" winds felt on the summit, giving the Occitan Puèi Marin. Yellow gentian grows beside the trail, its root reaching 1.5 m and used in Salers and Avèze liqueurs.

Access is through the Pas de Peyrol mountain pass at 1,589 meters (5,213 feet), from where a steep footpath leads to the summit. During summer, shuttle buses run on seven different routes, making it easier to reach without a personal vehicle.

As the first mountain barrier facing weather systems from the Atlantic, the summit captures heavy rainfall and creates conditions for more than 550 plant species. On its slopes, rare alpine plants bloom that draw botanists from across Europe.