Map: Paris Olympics Purple

I was hoping that this 1874 geological map of the Paris area was the inspiration behind the startling purple color theme for the recently concluded Paris Olympics. The map was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the Geological Society of London.

The sedimentary strata are folded into an arc that looks like the purple athletics track! 

Alas, no. The purple color was selected because the organizers wanted a unique identity for the games. And apparently it made for better television viewing.

There is a geology connection to the athletics track though. A big component of the flooring is calcium carbonate usually obtained by grinding down quarried limestone. For these games, in keeping with the theme of sustainability promoted by the organizers, the purple track was made up of discarded mussel shells obtained from an Italian fishing cooperative. 

Oh well. I like my geology connection story better.