Pic de Médécourbe (Catalan: ''Pic de Medacorba'') is a mountain in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

that sits on the western

tripoint A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...

boundary of

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is tall. It overlooks

Étang de Soulcem Étang de Soulcem is a large artificial lake in the Pyrenees mountains in Ariège, France. It is at an elevation of 1570 m and is used for hydroelectricity, generating 62 GWh/year. The lake, which has a surface area of 0.91 km2, ...

, a large

artificial lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

used for

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

generation, and the Vicdessos valley.Govern d'Andorra (1991). ''Atlas d'Andorra'', map of northwestern Andorra, p.20. There is also an eastern tripoint of Andorra, France, and Spain approximately 6 km south of

Pas de la Casa El Pas de la Casa (; ) is a ski resort (part of the Grandvalira resort), town, and mountain pass in the Encamp parish of Andorra, lying on the border with France. Overview Its name literally translates as "the pass of the house" and refers to t ...

Geological and glacial history

Geological studies and glacial research conducted in the Médécourbe valley, which lies directly north of the mountain, reveal a rich history of glacial activity dating back to the Late Glacial and

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

periods.

Moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...

landforms in the upper Médécourbe valley provide evidence of past glacier advances and retreats. In particular, large moraines formed around 12,400 years ago, during the transition period between the Late Glacial period and the

Younger Dryas The Younger Dryas (YD, Greenland Stadial GS-1) was a period in Earth's geologic history that occurred circa 12,900 to 11,700 years Before Present (BP). It is primarily known for the sudden or "abrupt" cooling in the Northern Hemisphere, when the ...

—a time when cooler climatic conditions briefly returned to Europe. Research using cosmic ray exposure (CRE) dating techniques identified at least two distinct moraine formations from the early Holocene period (approximately 9,600 years ago). Another moraine, located near the highest part of the valley, could represent glacier advances occurring either during the Late Holocene or the

Little Ice Age The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of regional cooling, particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region. It was not a true ice age of global extent. The term was introduced into scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939. Mat ...

(between the 14th and 19th centuries CE), but its exact age remains undetermined. This history indicates that the Médécourbe valley experienced substantial climatic changes, with significant cooling episodes necessary to explain these glacial expansions. Climatic models suggest that the local climate was approximately 3.9 °C cooler than present-day conditions, which allowed glaciers to form and persist at lower altitudes. Today, the Médécourbe catchment no longer has a glacier due to the current climatic conditions, which are warmer and less favourable to ice formation. However, a small permanent snow patch persists at the base of the mountain's steep northern cliffs, maintained by shading and frequent snow avalanches.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medecourbe, Pic de Mountains of the Pyrenees Mountains of Andorra Mountains of Occitania (administrative region) Mountains of Catalonia International mountains of Europe Andorra–France border Andorra–Spain border France–Spain border Border tripoints Two-thousanders of Andorra Two-thousanders of France Two-thousanders of Spain Landforms of Ariège (department)