Depending on the amount of water that covers them, geological-deposits that form at the bottom of the sea can vary in thickness and density as well as varying in their carbon content. This was the case during the Secondary Era when the sea covered our region. Today, geologists distinguish between
- deposits of Provencal-Affinity, or origin: rather fine and carbonated,
- deposits of Dauphin-Affinity, or origin: rather thick and clayey.

The Beynes panoramic landscape can be categorised into four major distinct geological areas or zones:
- In the foreground, we can observe original indigenous terrain dating from the Tertiary and Quaternary Eras. The village of Beynes is built on the edge of these layers of geological conglomerate-deposits and sandstones, which are completely vertical.

In the background, the three other distinct geological areas are made up of non-indigenous terrain (displaced from their original place of deposition):
- The Beynes mountain forms a raised crust of Provencal-Affinity terrain dated to the Secondary Era which overlaps the original indigenous terrain. At their base, a layer of gypsum has enabled the separation.
- The summit of Suy forms another raised crust made up of a so-called intermediate terrain.
- Le Cousson (on your left) is made up of terrain from the Secondary Era, of Dauphin-Affinity, origin. This is the overlapping ridge of the Digne geological-nappe, or thrust-sheet.