Phénomènes torrentiels et transferts sédimentaires autour du massif du Tanargue, de l’âge du fer au petit âge de glace (PAG) (Cévennes vivaraises, France)

A study of the Cévennes' Tanargue massif reveals that land-use changes between the late 18th and late 19th centuries significantly altered the sensitivity of slopes to erosion, leading to alternating phases of intense sediment production and periods of calm. By combining historical analysis with geomorphological methods, researchers mapped and dated gravel deposits to reconstruct landscape dynamics and assess the speed of bedload transfer during the Little Ice Age (PAG). This provides key chronological markers for interpreting erosion rhythms since 3000 BP, placing the PAG within a longer morphogenetic evolution. The findings highlight the profound impact of human activity on sediment flux in Mediterranean agro-pastoral landscapes.

Jacob-Rousseau, N., & Astrade, L. (2014). Phénomènes torrentiels et transferts sédimentaires autour du massif du Tanargue, de l’âge du fer au petit âge de glace (PAG) (Cévennes vivaraises, France). Méditerranée, 122, 81–97. https://doi.org/10.4000/mediterranee.7159