Jacques-Cartier Massif

Jacques-Cartier Lake Massif
Jacques-Cartier Lake Massif
	Topographic map of the massif.
Highest point
Peak	Mont Raoul Blanchard
Elevation	1,181 m (3,875 ft)
Geography
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Range coordinates	47°23′02″N 71°13′02″W / 47.38389°N 71.21722°WCoordinates: 47°23′02″N 71°13′02″W / 47.38389°N 71.21722°W

The Lac Jacques-Cartier massif is the highest mountain range of the Laurentian Mountains range, in the Canadian province of Quebec. Located between the St. Lawrence River and the , the altitude of its plateau varies between 800 and 900 meters while its highest point, Mount Raoul Blanchard, reaches 1,181 metres (3,875 ft) of altitude.

Toponymy[]

The massif owes its name to the , a glacial lake located in its geographic center.

Geography[]

View of the massif in the vicinity of Montagne des Érables.

Location[]

The massif roughly covers the entire region of Capitale-Nationale (with the exception of the banks of the St. Lawrence River) as well as the extreme south of the region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.

Topography[]

The massif is made up of hundreds of corroded peaks, some of which exceed 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).

The Jacques-Cartier Lake massif is one of the geographical features of the mountain range]. With the , its altitude exceeds by several hundred meters the rest of the peaks of the chain. The presence of hundreds of lakes and a few glacial valleys (such as the Jacques-Cartier River valley) represents another distinctive facet of the massif.

The main peaks are:

Mount Raoul Blanchard (1,181 metres (3,875 ft));
Mount Belle Fontaine (1,151 metres (3,776 ft));
(1,112 metres (3,648 ft));
(1,082 metres (3,550 ft));
(1,065 metres (3,494 ft));
Montagne des Érables (1,048 metres (3,438 ft));
(1,038 metres (3,406 ft));
(1,000 metres (3,300 ft));
Mont du Lac des Cygnes (980 metres (3,220 ft));
(975 metres (3,199 ft));
Mont du Lac à Moïse (960 metres (3,150 ft));
(884 metres (2,900 ft));
(790 metres (2,590 ft)).

This list is incomplete and in several sectors of the territory the altitude exceeds 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) without having a physiognomy of mount. In addition, not all high peaks have been officially named as a mountain.

Ecosystem[]

Due to the altitude of the massif, boreal species such as black spruce are abundant.

The massif has an ecosystem boreal that cannot be found elsewhere at this latitude in Quebec.^[1] Being part of the domain of white birch fir (sector 5ef),^[2] the most common tree species is black spruce. The massif is home to one of the last herds of forest caribou in southern Quebec, the Charlevoix herd.^[3]

History[]

Environmental protection[]

The massif is one of the last wilderness areas in southern Quebec. Almost entirely public territory, it is covered among others by the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve, Jacques-Cartier National Park, Grands-Jardins National Park and Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park.

References[]

[1] /publications/forets/connaissances/guide-ecologique-5ef.pdf Guide for the recognition of ecological types - Lac Jacques-Cartier Massif

[2] Vegetation zones and bioclimatic domains of Quebec

[3] SÉPAQ

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