Gardon

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Gardon or Gard
The Gardon at Collias

The Gardon at Collias

Data
Water code FR :  V71-0400
location France , Occitania region
River system Rhône
Drain over Rhône  → Mediterranean
source in the municipality of Saint-Martin-de-Lansuscle
44 ° 14 ′ 46 ″  N , 3 ° 43 ′ 51 ″  E
Source height approx.  1050  m
muzzle at Comps in the Rhône coordinates: 43 ° 50 ′ 32 "  N , 4 ° 37 ′ 16"  E 43 ° 50 ′ 32 "  N , 4 ° 37 ′ 16"  E
Mouth height approx.  5  m
Height difference approx. 1045 m
Bottom slope approx. 8.2 ‰
length 127 km

The Gardon , also and equally in the lower reaches of the Gard , is a river in France that runs in the Occitania region . It was already known in ancient times as Vardo .

course

The Gard or Gardon comes from the Cevennes and flows altogether in a south-easterly direction. It has several source rivers, which are called “Gardon” with or without additional names and whose river paths are similarly long from the respective source to the mouth in the Rhône. Administratively, one has not declared the longest, but a central one as the main flow. This rises in the municipality of Saint-Martin-de-Lansuscle in the Cevennes National Park . The names are a compromise between local language usage and consideration of hydrology . The official hydrographic portal SANDRE lists (not only here) several names to choose from for numerous bodies of water and water sections. The geoportal of the central land surveying authority Institut géographique national partly provides different names in different scales (there is something like that here and there in Germany).

In the course of the main river the names can be found:

  • Gardon (Quellbach)
  • Gardon de Saint-Martin-de-Lansuscle
  • Gardon de Mialet
  • Gardon d'Anduze
  • "Gard ou (" or ") Gardon"

For the northern source river one finds:

It finally flows into the Rhône as a right tributary after 127.3 kilometers at Comps . Headwaters and parts of the upper reaches of the headwaters are in the Lozère department , other rivers and lower tributaries in the Gard department .

River system

Tributaries and river sections of the Gardon or Gard in the
order upstream, but the sides are in the direction of flow; Arrows point downstream in the same course of the river
inflow Surname Code SANDRE length Catchment area Mouth, (lower) limit Source or beginning
Gard or Gardon V71-0400 127.3 1999 at Comps in the Rhône
↑ Lower course: Gard or Gardon V71-0400 Confluence at Vézénobres
from the left Alzon V7180500 23.7 1801 6 km before the Pont du Gard Source pond north of the Col du Coutel
44 ° 4 '33 "  N , 4 ° 16' 4"  O
from the left Bourdic V7170700 25th 1519 44 ° 4 ′ 59 "  N , 4 ° 16 ′ 58"  E
from the left Droude V7160540 22.6 1242 at Moussac 44 ° 6 ′ 26 ″  N , 4 ° 13 ′ 3 ″  E
↑ lower course | Gardon d'Andouze V71-0400 16 km at Vézénobres
from the left Gardon d'Alès ,
← Quellbach: Gardon (sic!)		 V7150500 60.6 444 de during Col Jalgreste
44 ° 16 '57 "  N , 3 ° 47' 26"  O
from the right Galeizon V7150620 28.8 ? 4 km above Alès south of the Col de Pendédis
from the left Avène V7150720 29.4 ? 8 km below Alès northeast of Le Grand-Combe
^ Gardon d'Anduze | Gardon de Mialet V71-0400 3 km above Anduze
from the right Gardon de Saint-Jean V7130500 49.4 265 La Plane east of Les Rousses
44 ° 12 ′ 23 ″  N , 3 ° 36 ′ 31 ″  E
from the right Salindrenque ,
← Ruisseau de Liron		 V7130640 23 ? 3 km before its mouth at Col du Fageas
44 ° 4 '20 "  N , 3 ° 45' 20"  O
^ Section of the river: Gardon de Mialet V71-0400
from the right Gardon de Sainte-Croix V7110500 27.9 102 below
St-Étienne-Vallée-Française 		Col Faïsses of
44 ° 14 '37 "  N , 3 ° 37' 30"  O
^ Gardon de Mialet | Upper course V71-0400 above
St-Étienne-Vallée-Française
from the left Gardon de Saint-Germain V7100520 13.4 km 87 Col de la Vergnasse
44 ° 15 '50 "  N , 3 ° 46' 56"  O
^ Upper reaches: Gardon de Saint-Martin V71-0400 Plan du Font Mort
44 ° 14 '47 "  N , 3 ° 43' 50"  O

Places on the river

Left bank of the Gardon in Anduze, upstream

Main flow:

Gardon d'Alès in Alès
Headframe of a coal mine in Alès, which closed in 1985

Gardon d'Alès:

Gardon de Saint-Jean:

Gardon de Saint-Germain:

Flora and fauna

The course of the river is largely unregulated. In the middle part it flows through a primeval alluvial landscape, later through an imposing karst gorge.

As a result of deforestation in the Middle Ages and overgrazing of the area until the middle of the 20th century, the river valley is relatively poor in plants. Mainly evergreen shrubs ( maquis ) grow through the barren karst soil . In the river itself, only a few aquatic plants thrive at barrages. In summer there are problems with algae formation due to the high water temperature and lack of water.

The animal world is richer. Mammals are present, but hardly visible, but in recent years the nocturnal beaver has recaptured the central reaches and the source rivers of the Gardon as a habitat. Bats have ideal living conditions in the many karst caves . Wild boars and wild goats are hunted.

Gray herons can be seen as striking birds on the riverbank and griffon vultures nest in the region. Eel and trout are caught .

Sights / Leisure

Under the Pont du Gard aqueduct
  • Pont du Gard , the world famous Roman aqueduct from the 1st century.
  • Pont Saint-Nicolas de Campagnac medieval arch bridge in the area of ​​the middle reaches.
  • Canoeing : the Gardon can be traveled around 70 kilometers in canoes and kayaks. The gorge between Russan and Pont-du-Gard is particularly interesting. In the summer, the part up to the Pont St. Nicolas mostly fell dry.

See also

Web links

Commons : Gardon  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b geoportail.fr (1: 16,000)
  2. ↑ a b Gardon at SANDRE (French), accessed March 15, 2011 and Nov. 13, 2016
  3. ↑ a b c The French official water body database SANDRE shows values ​​of a higher-level river for tributaries from the 4th branch level for the catchment area and its land use.