New geochronological constraints on Late Pleistocene glaciation in the southern Cadí Massif, SE Pyrenees

ABSTRACT The Cadí Massif (42°17′09″ N, 1°38′11″ E; 2649 m a.s.l.) in the southeastern Pyrenees preserves clear evidence of Late Pleistocene glaciation, although previous research has focused almost exclusively on its northern slope. By contrast, the southern slope has remained largely unexplored. In this study, we present the first glacial geochronology for this sector by combining 36 Cl terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) surface‐exposure dating with numerical paleoclimate modeling. We analyzed 18 boulder samples collected from moraines in two major cirques to constrain the timing of glacier fluctuations. Although some exposure ages were interpreted as reflecting post‐depositional disturbance or possible nuclide inheritance, the resulting chronology indicates that the upper plateaus and southern cirques remained glaciated during the late stages of deglaciation following the Last Glacial Cycle, while subsequent moraine systems document later glacial advances. These include small snowdrift glaciers, up to ca . 4 km in length, that persisted during the Younger Dryas stadial at ca . 12–13 ka, with their mass balance sustained largely by wind‐driven snow redistribution and avalanche‐fed accumulation. Paleoclimate simulations indicate that temperatures were ca . 3°C lower during that phase, while precipitation was comparable to present‐day conditions. This integrated approach demonstrates the sensitivity of southern‐slope glaciers to abrupt climate shifts and provides a more comprehensive view of the spatial variability of glacial responses across the Cadí Massif and the broader Eastern Pyrenees.