Glacial oscillations during the Bolling-Allerod Interstadial-Younger Dryas transition in the Ruda Valley, Central Pyrenees

The Upper Garonne Basin included the largest glacial system in the Pyrenees during the last glacial cycle. Within the long-term glacial retreat during Termination-1 (T-1), glacier fluctuations left geomorphic evidence in the area. However, the chronology of T-1 glacial oscillations on the northern slopes of the Central Pyrenees is still poorly constrained. Here, we introduce new geomorphological observations and a 12-sample dataset of Be-10 cosmic-ray exposure ages from the Ruda Valley. This U-shaped valley, surrounded by peaks exceeding 2800 m a.s.l., includes a sequence of moraines and polished surfaces that enabled a reconstruction of the chronology of the last deglaciation. Following the maximum ice extent, warmer conditions prevailing at similar to 15-14 ka, during the Bolling-Allerod (B-A) Interstadial, favoured glacial retreat in the Ruda Valley. Within the B-A, glaciers experienced two phases of advance/stillstand with moraine formation at 13.5 and 13.0 ka. During the early Younger Dryas (YD), glacial retreat exposed the highest surfaces of the Saboredo Cirque (similar to 2300-2350 m) at 12.7 ka. Small glaciers persisted only inside the highest cirques (similar to 2470 m), such as in Sendrosa Cirque, with moraines stabilising at 12.6 ka. The results of this work present the most complete chronology for Pyrenean glacial oscillations from the B-A to the YD.