ABSTRACTThe surficial movement of debris was studied in a high altitude talus of the Andean Páramo of Piedras Blancas, Venezuela, for a maximum period of 29 months. A total of 411 stones were marked with paint and placed along four transects at different altitudes of the talus. The record of movement showed a wide temporal and spatial variability, but stone displacement was found to be correlated with surficial talus texture and mean particle size. Markers placed on gravelly sand areas shifted downslope faster, at an average annual rate of 23.2 cm; markers on small-debris areas moved 15.9 cm, while those on large-stone stripes moved only 4.0 cm. Since coarse-debris areas were concentrated at the basal talus, there was a general trend of increased stability with lower slope position.The displacement of talus particles was also studied with burlap debris traps and other methods; clay columns inserted in the talus revealed that disturbance of the gravelly sand areas desed rapidly with depth, and that only a surficial layer of 5 to 7 cm moved swiftly downslope. The talus showed little or no subsidence or mass rotation. The processes thought to be presently operative in the talus include rockfalls, small dry slides and avalanches, debris flows, and creep. Creep was induced by needle ice growth, by surface runoff during intense rainfall or snow melting, and by the contraction and expansion of the talus clasts resulting from the wide daily temperature fluctuations of the High Andean Paramo.