| Tarn | |
|---|---|
 The Tarn in Saint-Chély-du-Tarn,Gorges du Tarn Causses | |
.png) Path of the Tarn[1] | |
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| Location | |
| Country | France |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mont Lozère |
| • location | Cévennes,France |
| • coordinates | 44°24′53″N3°48′54″E / 44.41472°N 3.81500°E /44.41472; 3.81500 |
| • elevation | 1,550 m (5,090 ft) |
| Mouth | Garonne |
• location | Moissac,France |
• coordinates | 44°05′10″N1°02′33″E / 44.086111°N 1.0425°E /44.086111; 1.0425 |
| Length | 380 km (240 mi) |
| Basin size | 15,700 km2 (6,100 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 140 m3/s (4,900 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Garonne→Gironde estuary→Atlantic Ocean |
TheTarn (French pronunciation:[taʁn]ⓘ;Occitan:Tarn,Latin:Tarnis, possibly meaning 'rapid' or 'walled in') is a 380.2-kilometre (236.2 mi) longriver in the administrative region ofOccitania in southernFrance. It is a righttributary of theGaronne.[1]
The Tarn runs in a roughly westerly direction, from its source at an elevation of 1,550 m (5,090 ft) onMont Lozère in theCévennes mountains (part of theMassif Central), through the deep gorges and canyons of theGorges du Tarn that cuts through theCausse du Larzac, toMoissac inTarn-et-Garonne, where it joins theGaronne, 4 km (2.5 mi) downstream from the centre of town.
Itsbasin covers approximately 12,000 square kilometres (4,600 sq mi), and it has a mean flow of approximately 140 cubic metres per second (4,900 cu ft/s).
TheMillau Viaduct spans the valley of the Tarn nearMillau, and is now one of the area's most popular attractions.
The tributaries of the Tarn include:
The Tarn separates theNarbonne andAquitaine basins.
The Tarn passes through the followingdepartments and towns:
TheMillau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, carrying theA75 autoroute across the Tarn Gorge near Millau, opened in December 2004.
The Tarn is famous for its brutal floods, which are the most dangerous in Europe along with theDanube. The floods of March 1930 saw the Tarn rise more than 17 metres (56 feet) above its normal level inMontauban in just 24 hours, with adischarge of 7,000 cubic metres per second (250,000 cu ft/s) (the average discharge of theRhine is 2,200 cubic metres per second (78,000 cu ft/s); the average discharge of the Nile during the traditional annual flooding before the building of theAswan Dam was 8,500 cubic metres per second (300,000 cu ft/s); the average discharge of theMississippi River is 16,200 cubic metres per second (570,000 cu ft/s)). One third of theTarn-et-Garonne department was flooded, about 300 people died, thousands of houses were destroyed, the low-lying districts of Montauban were destroyed, and the town of Moissac was almost entirely destroyed.
The Tarn was once navigable from its junction with the Garonne toCorbarieu, nearMontauban. This stretch of river included sevenriver locks over a distance of 38 kilometres (24 mi). The canal was linked to theCanal de Garonne inMoissac by a branch lock upstream of the first river lock, and again, via theCanal de Montech, at Montauban.[2]
The two access points from the Canal de Garonne have both been restored, and boats can again access the immediate reaches of the river at these points. Additionally the first river lock, between Moissac and the Garonne itself, has been flooded by the barrage for theGolfech power station on the Garonne, and is permanently open to boats which can thus reach the Garonne and navigate a short distance of that river.[2]
The remaining six river locks are disused and unnavigable. A proposal exists to restore the five river locks between Moissac and Montauban, thus creating a waterway ring consisting of the Tarn from Moissac to Montauban, the Canal de Montech toMontech and the Canal de Garonne back to Moissac.[2]
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