Torngat Mountains

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Torngat Mountains
Range
Country Canada
Provinces Labrador, Quebec
Part of Arctic Cordillera
Highest point Mount Caubvick
 - elevation 1,652 m (5,420 ft)
 - coordinates 58°52′60.0″N 63°43′00.0″W / 58.883333, -63.71667

For the Montreal indie band see Torngat

Torngat Mountains are a mountain range located on the Labrador Peninsula at the northern tip of Labrador and eastern Quebec and are part of the Arctic Cordillera.[1] This is the peninsula that separates Ungava Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately 56% of the range is located in Quebec, with 44% located in Labrador and the remaining 1% located in Nunavut. The Torngat Mountains cover 30,067 square kilometres (11,609 square miles), including lowland areas and extend over 300 kilometres from Cape Chidley in the north to Hebron Fjord in the south. The Torngat Mountains have some of the highest peaks of eastern, continental North America.

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[edit] Terrain

The highest point is Mount Caubvick (known as Mont D'Iberville) at 1,652 meters (5,420 ft). There are no trees in the Torngat Mountains because the mountains are north of the Arctic tree line. Permafrost is continuous on the Quebec side of the border, and it is extensive but discontinuous on the eastern Atlantic side. The terrain more than approximately 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level is predominantly rocky desert.

Highest Peaks of the Torngat Mountains
Rank Name m ft
1 Mount Caubvick 1652 5420
2 Torngarsoak Mountain 1595 5232
3 Cirque Mountain 1568 5144
4 Peak 5100 (24I/16) 1554+ 5100+
5 Peak 5074 1547 5074
6 Mount Erhart 1539 5049
7 Jens Haven 1531 5023
8 Peak 5000 (24P/01) 1524+ 5000+
9 Peak 5000 (24I/16) 1524+ 5000+
10 Innuit Mountain 1509 4951

[edit] Geology

Precambrian gneisses that comprise the Torngat Mountains are among the oldest on Earth and have been dated at roughly 3.6 to 3.9 billion years old. Geologists have traditionally recognized the gneisses of the Torngats as a part of, or the the Canadian Shield[2], however, the mountain-building or orogeny of the Torngats may have taken place much more recently, and recent studies suggest that this might make the Torngats "distinct compared to the surrounding Precambrian Canadian Shield."[3]

[edit] Glaciation

The ranges of the Torngat Mountains are separated by deep fjords and finger lakes surrounded by sheer rock walls. The fjords were produced by glaciation. The Laurentide Ice Sheet covered most of the mountains at least once, however during the last ice age the coverage was more limited.

Currently, there are more than 70 active glaciers in the Torngat Mountains. Each of these glaciers is small in size.

[edit] Flora and fauna

Caribou travel through the Torngat Mountains. Numerous species of vegetation common to the Arctic region of Canada are also found in the Torngat Mountains.

[edit] History

The name Torngat is an Inuktitut word meaning spirits.

The Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve was announced on 1 December, 2005. It aims to protect wildlife (caribou, polar bears, peregrine falcon and golden eagle among others), while offering wilderness-oriented recreational activities.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Park Wardens - Arctic Cordillera
  2. ^ http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/english/maps/reference/anniversary_maps/physiographicregions/map.pdf
  3. ^ Exhumation of the Torngat Mountains, Northern Labrador, Canada, J. P. Centeno, D. F. Stockli, J. Gosse. http://www.geo.ku.edu/programs/tectonics/centeno2.html

[edit] Further reading

  • Ives, J. D. 1957. "Glaciation of the Torngat Mountains, Northern Labrador". Arctic. 10, no. 2: 67-87.
  • Kobalenko, Jerry. 2007. "Ghost Coast - Kayaking the Foreboding Fiords of Torngat Mountains National Park". Canadian Geographic. 127, no. 3: 38.
  • Schaefer, James A, and Stuard N Luttich. 1998. "Articles - Movements and Activity of Caribou, Rangifer Tarandus Caribou, of the Torngat Mountains, Northern Labrador and Quebec". The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 112, no. 3: 486.

[edit] External links


Coordinates: 59°25′N 64°30′W / 59.417, -64.5

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General sub-fields of physical geography