1881–1936: SLSB (Société lyonnaise des schistes bitumineux), Les Télots Mine extracted oil shale dating from the Asselian era at Saint-Forgeot, on the outskirts of Autun in Saône-et-Loire town in central-eastern France.

During the Occupation, the site was of strategic importance to the German army, which kept a watchful eye on it, and minor acts of sabotage were carried out by the local resistance and the Allies (notably the Scullion raids).

Remains of the installations (ruins) and two large spoil tips still mark the landscape at the beginning of the 21st century, overgrown with particular vegetation studied for its biodiversity.

The mine is located in a Morvan valley in the commune of Saint-Forgeot, on the outskirts of Autun in the north of the Saône-et-Loire département, in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region of eastern France.

[1] The Autun oil shale deposit gives its name to the geological period in which it was formed: the Autunian, from 299 to 282 million years ago,[2] with a thickness of 1.3 km.

Les Télots Mine exploits a deposit belonging to the Upper Autunian and Millery strata, which are 250 meters thick of shale, crossed by clastic rock.

From 1837 onwards, shale oil was produced industrially for street lighting in major cities such as Paris, Lyon, Dijon, and Strasbourg.

In 1881, the Société lyonnaise des schistes bitumineux (SLSB) bought out several remaining concessions to revive production.

[6][7][8][9][13] In 1892, the French government reduced taxes on foreign petroleum products, making them more competitive with Autun shale oil.

In response, a new company, Société Minière des Schistes Bitumineux (SMSB), was created with financial backing from Pechelbronn SAEM.

[8] A refinery with cracking units was opened in 1936 to complement the oil distillation plant, and the company specialized in automotive fuels.

[8][10] The workforce numbered 600, including around 100 miners, who extracted almost 1,000 tonnes of shale daily, producing 70 million liters of gasoline a year.

From a sterile, stony soil, several types of natural areas have developed: siliceous scree, various types of low-acid silicolous lawns with annual plants, thin hay meadows colonized by Arrhenatherum elatius, aquatic vegetation such as the broad-leaved pondweed (Potamogeton natans), which develops in mining subsidence reservoirs.

Inclined spoil tips are colonized by a birch grove, while the flat industrial wasteland is occupied by an oak-ash forest.

Wetlands include both reed beds with Phragmites and Typha, and wet meadows with Yellow Rush (Juncus inflexus).

The presence of ponds provides shelter for amphibians, notably the green tree frog (Hyla arborea), a protected species.