Abstract
The heated debate on shale gas broke-out in France towards the end-2010. It immediately focused on the opportunity or danger of shale gas extraction, without addressing the initial question : is there shale gas ? Based on geology, this contribution critically analyses the potential of hydrocarbon resources in several areas of Languedoc. The different evaluations of resources and reserves that might exist in underground Languedoc are assessed and the reasons for the large uncertainty are analysed.