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Barely 15 000 years old, the St. Lawrence River is the world's youngest seaway!
When out in the middle of the river, you feel you are
at sea, and when close to shore, the physical traces
of this waterway's birth and evolution can be read on its rocky shoreline. The
St. Lawrence originates in the Great Lakes, but the waters from several other
rivers that flow into the seaway contribute to its powerful current. Learn about
the fascinating natural phenomena that create
the magic of the St. Lawrence River.
Learn about the fascinating history of how the St. Lawrence River, a natural
work of art 15 000 years in the making, and the surrounding area were formed,
as well as environmental hazards they face!
Saguenay Fjord
Shaping the fjord, the work of an icy colossus
The Saguenay Fjord is not the only such geographical feature in North
America, but it is counted among the most beautiful. Take a cruise
down the St. Lawrence to admire the fjord's towering cliffs that plunge
abruptly into the water—the view will take your breath away.
The fjord, which has not changed in millions of years, has served
as the setting for many historic films. Did you know that the fjord
originated some 250 million years ago as a crack in a weaker spot
in the granite floor of the Canadian Shield, the oldest mountain range
in the world (over 1 billion years old)? During the last Ice Age,
the gradual build-up of ice over a period of tens of thousands of
years eventually formed a colossal glacier.
Crash, boom, bang—a fjord is born
And what was bound to happen, happened. Under the weight of a glacier
measuring from 2000 to 3000 m (6600 to 9900 feet) thick, the ground
cracked then tore asunder in a grinding of pulverized stone and a
cascade of rocks, sand and earth raining down beneath the glacier.
As the planet's climate warmed up, the icy colossus covering a large
part of the continent began to melt, creating an inland sea. The glacier
began its slow retreat to the St. Lawrence River, deeply scoring the
earth in the process, and thus creating the Saguenay Fjord. A few
millennia later, the glacier reached the St. Lawrence River itself,
whose topography was much different from what we know today. Only
too happy to have found a travelling companion, the glacier turned
left on its route north. Like a powerful tractor, it ploughed deeply
into the bedrock, deepening the St. Lawrence riverbed and carving
an underwater valley, nearly 500 m (1500 feet) deep in some places,
that extends as far as Northern Labrador! What is even more fascinating
is that the cold water of the Atlantic Ocean travels through this
valley all the way to Chicoutimi against the St. Lawrence current!
In effect, the fjord is an extension of the sea.
This icy bull in a china shop smashed and crushed everything in its
surroundings, yet the scars it left on the earth are now scenes of
captivating beauty. Mother Nature devoted a lot of energy to transform
this broken land into a wilderness paradise! |
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