Mount Babel (Quebec)

For other uses, see Mount Babel (disambiguation).
Mount Babel
Mont Babel

View from the east of Mount Babel (right of center), René-Levasseur Island, and the Manicouagan Reservoir.
Highest point
Elevation 952 m (3,123 ft) [1]
Prominence 590 m (1,940 ft) [1]
Listing List of mountains of Canada
Coordinates 51°26′28″N 68°41′31″W / 51.44111°N 68.69194°W / 51.44111; -68.69194Coordinates: 51°26′28″N 68°41′31″W / 51.44111°N 68.69194°W / 51.44111; -68.69194 [1]
Geography

Mount Babel is the highest peak of the René-Levasseur Island, at 952 m (3,123 ft) above sea-level, which is 590 m (1,936 ft) above the Manicouagan Reservoir level. It lies within the Louis-Babel Ecological Reserve in Quebec, Canada.

History

The mount is named after Catholic missionary Louis Babel (1829–1912), who is said to have converted Montagnais and Naskapis.[2][3]

Mount Babel is the central peak of the Manicouagan crater and was formed by the rebound of the crust after the impact of a meteor 210 million years ago. The mountain and reservoir are of particular interest to geologists due to the shock metamorphosis it endured.[4]

Biodiversity

Mount Babel is also a valuable research ground for biologists. One can find montane and alpine climate zones there, since meteorological conditions become increasingly extreme towards the summit. These conditions create a quick transition from boreal forest to tundra, where there can be found lichen and other arctic life forms that would normally be observed hundreds of kilometres further north.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mont Babel". Banque de noms de lieux du Québec (in French). Commission de Toponymie. Retrieved 20 Sep 2010.
  2. ↑ Government of Quebec, Réserve écologique Louis-Babel (in French), Quebec City: Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs, retrieved 20 Sep 2010
  3. ↑ Boucher, Romuald (2000) [1911-1920], "Louis Babel", Dictionnaire biographique du Canada en ligne (in French), University of Toronto/Université Laval, XIV, retrieved 20 Sep 2010
  4. ↑ Gouvernement du Québec. "Réserve écologique Louis-Babel" (in French). Québec: Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs. Retrieved 20 Sep 2010.
  5. ↑ Cleary, Marie-Claude (21 July 2002), "Réserve écologique Louis-Babel", La Semaine Verte (in French), Radio-Canada, retrieved 20 Sep 2010


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