La chute Montmorency / Montmorency Falls

Champlain gave the cataract its original name, the Montmorency Sault, in 1619 in honor of Henry II, Duke of Montmorency, his protector and the viceroy of New France. Among the largest falls in Canada, Montmorency Falls stands 84 meters high, 30 meters higher than Niagara, and has carved a large 17-meter-deep pool at its base while discharging enough water to supply a large proportion of Quebec's population. Its geology has been noted since 1879, especially the steep strata at the base of the falls. A fracture in the Earth's crust, the Montmorency Fault, caused the collapse of the rock formations on the river side. The geological cross section includes gneiss, limestone of the Trenton Formation and basic sandstones, shale of the Utica formation, sandstone of the Beupré formation, and shale of the Lotbinière formation.

Quebec · Canada