The ocher sands of Vaucluse are born from the accumulation of marine sediments over successive deposits of white limestone, gray clays, and green sands laden with glauconia. They come from a large sandbank containing a maximum of 10 to 20 % ocher, which must, therefore, be separated from the sand after extraction. The separation process allows recovering a fine pigment consisting of white clay (kaolinite) associated with a hydrated yellow (goethite) or red (hematite) iron oxide.