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The Taillón Glacier is currently the largest glacier in the Gavarnie Massif. Located at an altitude of 2,550 m, this glacier is the most accessible in terms of length, one of the reasons why it is considered one of the best known and most studied in the mountain range.
The moraines from the Little Ice Age, far from its current front, indicate a length of 1,440 m, the sixth longest in the Pyrenees, and an area of 41 ha, making it the largest glacier in the massif and the 13th largest in the Pyrenees.
The glacier originated on the upper step of the cirque, at the base of the Falsa Brecha (2,909 m), an area where the ice field disappeared in 2023. In 2006, the division of the glacier into a middle and lower glacier was completed. The distance between the two has widened year after year, and the rock wall separating the two terraces became an insurmountable obstacle to the reunification of the glacier.
The middle glacier has deteriorated significantly in a short period of time. Signs of activity were last seen in 2022, and by 2024 it had become a helero showing clear signs of collapse. The lower fragment is currently maintaining a weak dynamic, perceptible only in its upper sector, with a clear evolution towards a helleura structure.
The whole, formed by the middle helleura and the lower glacier, currently covers an area of 4.5 ha, which despite its small size makes it the 5th largest glacier in the Pyrenees.
Este aparato glaciar pertenece al siguiente macizo:
72) Taillón
Comparativa de imágenes
Comparison of three decades, from 1992 to 2022.
An active Taillón Glacier in 1992. (Jordi Camins).
In 2022, another decade later, comments are unnecessary. On the left of the image, between the visible ice and the main body of the glacier, the thickness of the ice under the cover of erosion material remains considerable. (Jordi Camins).
Comparison over 30 years, from 1994 to 2024. The front of the Taillón glacier in 1994 and 2024, viewed from the Falsa Brecha and El Dedo areas. (Jordi Camins).
Comparison over 12 years, from 2012 to 2024.
The glacier front in 2012.
The glacier front in 2024, evolving towards a moraine structure. On the left, the area covered with eroded material. (Jordi Camins).
