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Scenery

The Islands

The islands and islets that make up the archipelago are only the visible summits of a submarine ridge emerging from the sea. Sand dunes link these summits, and this extended line of dunes and summits creates the Magdalen Archipelago. Each individual island is a rocky, mountainous outcrop characterized by the presence of high, rounded, bare-looking hills that are known locally as ?buttes? (mounds). These mounds, separated by a network low valleys, rise from a platform which inclines gradually towards the sea. The Madelinots built their houses and farms on these gently sloping areas. The area of the Îles de la Madeleine is 202 km2..

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The Cliffs

There are two types of rock in the cliffs on the Magdalens, gray sandstone and red sandstone. The gray sandstone is more resistant to erosion and is found in some of the highest landforms on the southern islands, Entry Island, Havre-Aubert, Cap-aux-Meules and Havre-aux-Maisons. These are often volcanic mounds containing argillaceous sedimentary rocks, limestone and gypsum.

The red sandstone cliffs take spectacular shapes: columns, swags, towers, corbels, funnels, sawteeth, sinkholes, potholes offer a constant vision of wonder to the eye. This is sedimentary rock, 99% quartz covered with a thin layer of iron oxide, and it is this latter which gives the stone its reddish colour. The rock is highly friable, and suffers greatly from erosion by wind and waves, particularly in the fall when strong winds combine with high tides. Spring thaw also breaks down the stone of these cliffs. Created by the incessant battle between the sea and the land, visual wonders await the eye of the visitor all along the cliffs, in Belle-Anse, Fatima, la Dune-du-Sud in Havre-aux-Maisons and Old-Harry in Grosse-Île and all the way out to Grande-Entrée.

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Beaches

Most of the sand on the beaches starts off as sandstone eroded from red cliffs. Once in the salt water, material from the cliffs loses its thin film of iron oxide and is carried around the islands by longshore currents before being deposited in spits whose general orientation is determined by the direction of the prevailing winds and currents. Once dry, the sand appears white. It accumulates on beaches and helps create the dunes. Grains of sand on the beaches are in constant movement, and the width of any beach is directly related to the volume of material available and the strength of the waves and currents, which carry it.

The beaches are easy to reach, and what a pleasure it is to swim, relax and get a good tan from the wind and the sun or take long, invigorating walks. You can also build sand castles, collect shells or just sit and meditate by the sea.

The temperature of the seawater around the Islands usually stands at around 18 degrees Celsius (64F) in mid-August. Water in lagoons and bays can reach temperatures higher than 20 degrees Celsius (68ºF). Wind is a major factor when choosing a place to swim : it is always a good idea to look for a beach protected from the wind.

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Dunes

Storm waves and currents are constantly carrying new material onto the beaches: sand, rocks, seaweed, marine animals, etc. These materials enrich the soil and make it possible for some pioneer plants (sea rocket, sea chickweed) to establish themselves on the backshore ; once established, these plants help block the wind and promote formation of what are called "buttereaux" in the Islands, coastal dunes, mobile dunes. Decomposition of pioneer plants helps other plants such as beach grass to survive. Beach grass is critical to the ecological balance of the archipelago. Its rhizomes (underground stems) hold down the sand on the dunes. However, this plant is extremely sensitive to treading. Once the sand is firmly settled among the roots of the beach grass, the dune will be colonized by a wider range of plant life (beach pea, balsam fir, black crowberry, bayberry) and will support a greater density of population. These plants complete the stabilization of the dune and turn it from a mobile dune into a fixed dune.

Sandspits represent over 60% of the Islands' coastline, a total area of more than 17200 acres. This is how dunes and furrows (silllons) are formed, and you can see a perfect example of these formations at Dune du Sud. Here you see the true individuality of the Madelinot landscape: golden dunes whose maritime flora differ in many ways from those on the mainland and are not found in such concentrations any where else in Quebec.

Dunes also offer an important protective barrier against infiltration of salt water into the water table, preventing salt from contaminating the fresh water available on the Islands. Dunes also offer protection from winds which transport sand, preventing it from filling habitats located behind the dunes such as lagoons and ponds. They also protect the roads and offer an essential living environment for plants and animals in need of food and shelter.

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The Lagoons

When two parallel dunes connect (double tombolos), they trap water between them and create a lagoon linked to the sea by narrow, rather shallow channels. These natural basins have some very important ecological functions. Their location, the water exchange, and the shallow depths make the lagoons an excellent habitat for the growth and reproduction of lobster, herring, smelt, and other marine species. In addition, the banks of the lagoons are bordered by salt marshes and meadows which shelter large populations of sea birds, waterfowl and shore birds. The calm, warm waters of the lagoons are also safe areas to enjoy windsurfing.

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