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Cirque de Gavarnie
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Cirque de Gavarnie

geological feature, France
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Cirque de Gavarnie
Cirque de Gavarnie A trail in the valley of Gavarnie, France, in the central Pyrenees, offers a view of the natural amphitheater called the Cirque de Gavarnie.

The Cirque de Gavarnie is a large, amphitheater-shaped geological feature in southwestern France, located in the Hautes-Pyrénées department. Described by Victor Hugo as the "colosseum of nature," it is a glacial cirque, meaning it was formed by erosion from a glacier.1

Key characteristics include:
* Walls: Steep, glacially eroded rock walls rising approximately 5,000 feet (1,500 meters).1
* Terraces: Three distinct terraces with precipitous faces.1
* Grande Cascade: A waterfall plunging about 1,400 feet (425 meters) from the eastern side.12
* Surroundings: High mountain summits on the Franco-Spanish frontier and the Brèche de Roland cleft.1

Cirques are typically found at the head of glacial valleys and can sometimes contain a tarn, or small lake, if the glacier recedes.3

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. Gavarnie-Gèdre
  2. cirque
  3. Gavarnie

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