Mount Babel (Quebec)

For other uses, see Mount Babel (disambiguation).

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.

Mount Babel
Mont Babel
View from the east of Mount Babel (right of centre), 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[1]
Geography
Mount Babel Rivière-aux-Outardes, Quebec, Canada
Topo map	NTS 22N7 Mont de Babel

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 impact structure 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 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 farther north.^[5]