Silicon dioxide
The watershed/drainage divide between the river basins of the Meurthe and of the Moselle runs through the commune. Two much smaller rivers that cross it are the Mortagne and the . The landscape and its customs are at a point of transition between mountain country to the east and the gently rolling landscape Lorriane Plain to the west. The soil type reflects a mixture of underlying limestone and clay, with very little Silicon dioxide. The result is a soil known locally as white earth ("terres blanches") and ashen earth ("terres rousses"): the latter are particularly suitable for growing cereals in general and especially for wheat.