Puy de Montchal, Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, Extinct volcano in Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, France

Puy de Montchal is a summit at 1,407 metres in the Monts Dore, built up from accumulated scoria rather than a cratered cone. It rises above the northern shore of Lac Pavin, whose grey-blue water and wooded far slope are seen from the slopes. With Lac Pavin and the puy de Montcineyre to the south it belongs to the most recent volcanic zone of mainland France.

Puy de Montchal is a scoria cone in the Monts Dore, built by an accumulation of ejected fragments. With Lac Pavin below to the north and Puy de Montcineyre to the south, it belongs to the most recent volcanic zone of metropolitan France. In 2023 and 2024 about a hundred broadband seismometers were set up temporarily to probe the deep structure of the Massif Central; the survey detected a few deep long-period earthquakes near the crust-mantle boundary beneath the Chaîne des Puys and the Lac Pavin area, read as signs of magma still active at depth.

The name Montchal probably comes from the pre-Celtic *calmis, a bare, steep height, according to the Fénié; a popular but unscientific explanation links it to chaum/chaud, "Montchaud", recalling the volcano's past. Near Picharanda the name is pronounced [pe də mɔ̃ˈtsaɔ̯].

The best way to explore this site is via marked hiking trails starting from Besse, offering a worthwhile circuit through forests and open areas. The terrain is fairly steep in places, so sturdy footwear and adequate time are recommended for the walk.

The summit is a pile of scoria, not a crater: the sources describe Puy de Montchal as formed by accumulated volcanic slag. With Lake Pavin below to the north and Puy de Montcineyre to the south, it belongs to the most recent volcanic zone of mainland France. In 2023-2024 about a hundred broadband seismometers were temporarily set up across the Massif Central, and deep long-period earthquakes detected near the crust-mantle boundary under the Chaîne des Puys and Lake Pavin area were read as signs of magma still active at depth.