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″N71°13′02″W / 47.38389°N 71.21722°W Coordinates: 47°23′02″N71°13′02″W / 47.38389°N 71.21722°W

Last updated April 12, 2023

The Lac Jacques-Cartier massif is a massif and the highest mountain range of the Laurentian Mountains, in the Canadian province of Quebec. Located between the St. Lawrence River and the Saguenay Graben, 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 Jacques-Cartier Lake, a glacial lake located in its geographic center.

Geography

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 Jacques-Cartier Lake massif is one of the geographical features of the Laurentian Mountains. With the Valin Mountains, 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));
Mont de la Québécoise (1,112 metres (3,648 ft));
Mont François-De Laval (1,082 metres (3,550 ft));
Mont Jean-Hubert (1,065 metres (3,494 ft));
Montagne des Érables (1,048 metres (3,438 ft));
Mont Élie (1,038 metres (3,406 ft));
Mont Francine-C.-McKenzie (1,000 metres (3,300 ft));
Mont du Lac des Cygnes (980 metres (3,220 ft));
Mont du Dôme (975 metres (3,199 ft));
Mont du Lac à Moïse (960 metres (3,150 ft));
Mount Apica (884 metres (2,900 ft));
Mountain in Liguori (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

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.

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Gaspésie National Park is a provincial park located south of the town of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Quebec, Canada in the inland of the Gaspé peninsula. The park contains the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains in Canada, Mont Jacques-Cartier, 1,270 metres (4,170 ft) above sea level. In addition, the park contains the only population of Caribou found south of the Saint Lawrence River in Canada.

Jacques-Cartier National Park is a provincial park located 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Quebec City. The park aims to protect wildlife in the Laurentian massif. It lies within the Eastern forest-boreal transition ecoregion.

Mont-Albert is an unorganized territory in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of Quebec, Canada.

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The lac Jacques-Cartier, main source of the Jacques-Cartier River, is a glacial lake located in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve, about 90 km to the north of the city of Quebec, in the unorganized territory of Lac-Jacques-Cartier, in the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

Lake Sautauriski is a freshwater body crossed from north to south by the Sautauriski River, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Jacques-Cartier, in the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in province of Quebec, in Canada.

The Sautauriski mountain culminates at 727 metres (2,385 ft) in the southern part of Jacques-Cartier National Park, in the municipality of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, in the regional county municipality (MRC) of La Jacques-Cartier, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in Quebec, Canada.

The Montagne de l'Épaule peaks at 460 metres (1,510 ft) in Jacques-Cartier National Park, in the municipality of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, in La Jacques-Cartier Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in Quebec, Canada.

The Lac des Neiges is a freshwater body located in the unorganized territory of Lac-Jacques-Cartier, in the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

The rivière du Mont Saint-Étienne is a tributary of the Sainte-Anne river, flowing on the north bank of the Saint Lawrence River, in the unorganized territory of Lac-Jacques-Cartier and the municipality of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, in the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

The Petite rivière Savane is a tributary of the Sainte-Anne River, flowing on the north bank of the Saint Lawrence River, in the territory unorganized from Lac-Jacques-Cartier, in the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

The Rivière Brûlé is a tributary of the Sainte-Anne River, flowing on the north bank of the Saint Lawrence River, in the non-territory organized from Lac-Jacques-Cartier, in the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

Mount Xalibu is a mountain located in the unorganized territory of Mont-Albert, in Quebec. Culminating at 1,120 metres (3,670 ft) above sea level, it is one of the highest peaks in the Notre Dame Mountains. It is located in Gaspésie National Park.

The Mont Belle Fontaine, culminating at 1,151 metres (3,776 ft) of altitude, is the highest summit of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve.

Mont du Lac des Cygnes is a mountain of the Jacques-Cartier Massif, located within the Grands-Jardins National Park in Quebec, Canada. Its summit culminating at 980 metres (3,220 ft) above sea level and overlooking the valley of the Rivière du Gouffre is one of the main attractions of the park.

The mont du Lac à Moïse is a mountain of the Jacques-Cartier Massif located within the Grands-Jardins National Park, in the unorganized territory of Lac-Pikauba, in the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in Quebec, in Canada. It peaks at 960 metres (3,150 ft).

References

↑ /publications/forets/connaissances/guide-ecologique-5ef.pdf Guide for the recognition of ecological types - Lac Jacques-Cartier Massif
↑ Vegetation zones and bioclimatic domains of Quebec
↑ "SÉPAQ" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2020-04-22.

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[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" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2020-04-22.

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