Torngat Mountains

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. 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. While it could be considered to be a northeastern extension of the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec or even the Appalachian Mountains, this is not true, as they are closely related to the other mountain ranges that make the much larger Arctic Cordillera mountain range.

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 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

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 Canadian Shield, 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.

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.

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.

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.

See also

• List of mountain ranges
• Arctic Cordillera

References

Further reading

External links

• Torngat Mountains
• Great photos of the mountain range
• Statistics Canada Principal heights by range or region