The Laurentians: an ancient mountain range

Sculpted by time and glaciers, the Laurentians are some of the oldest mountains in the world. They began to form over three billion years ago, well before dinosaurs appeared! When they stopped forming, around one billion years ago, the Laurentians were as tall as the Himalayas are today: over 26,000 feet.

In the 19th century, historian François-Xavier Garneau named the mountains “Laurentian” (meaning “of the St. Lawrence”), for the river that flows at their feet. The highest peak, Mount Raoul-Blanchard, overlooks Côte-de-Beaupré, 3,825 feet above sea level.