Mistassini River

Mistassini River
Mistassini River
Rivière Mistassini
Country Canada
Province Quebec
Region Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
Tributaries
 - left Mistassibi River
Source Little De Vau Lake
 - coordinates 50°52′20″N 72°17′45″W / 50.87222°N 72.29583°W / 50.87222; -72.29583
Mouth Lac Saint-Jean
 - location Saint-Félicien
 - coordinates 48°42′22″N 72°19′10″W / 48.70611°N 72.31944°W / 48.70611; -72.31944
Length 298 km (185 mi) [1]
Basin 21,900 km2 (8,500 sq mi) [1]

The Mistassini River is a river in central Quebec, Canada, draining into the north-western portion of Lac Saint-Jean. It is 298 kilometres (185 mi) long and has a watershed area of 21,900 square kilometres (8,500 sq mi).[1] Its source is between Eau Froide and De Vau Lakes in the northern-most portion of the Rivière-Mistassini Unorganized Territory, just east of the vast Baie-James Municipality.

Despite its name, Lake Mistassini is not in the drainage basin of the Mistassini River, but is about 80 km (50 mi) west from its source. The Mistassini River is easily confused with its tributary, the Mistassibi River.

The upper portion of the river is characterized by a succession of rapids, waterfalls, and cascades. Only the last 25 kilometres (16 mi), from its mouth to Dolbeau-Mistassini, is navigable. Tributaries of the Mistassini River include the Papillon River, the Rivière des Framboises (Raspberry River), the Rivière aux Rats (Rat River), and the Mistassibi River.[2]

History

During the 17th century and first half of the 18th century, the Mistassini River was regarded as one of the six primary access routes to Lake Mistassini. A 1679 map by Louis Jolliet shows the river with the name Kakigoua, meaning "there where the sand is cut perpendicularly". Later the river is named Rivière aux Sables (Sand River) on maps by other cartographers such as Laure in 1731 and 1732, Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville in 1755, and Jacques-Nicolas Bellin in 1764. During his journey in 1792, botanist André Michaux calls it the Mistassini River. It seems that the first topographic use of this name goes back to 1825. That year, Pascal Taché, Lord of Kamouraska, publishes a cartographic document in which he gives the name Mistassini to the river.[2]

Also, prominent Canadian paleontologist Diamanto DeParkington discovered Allosaurus bones near the river's base in 1992; they are on display at the British Museum.[citation needed]


Mistassini River at the City of Dolbeau-Mistassini.

References

  1. ^ a b c Natural Resources Canada, Atlas of Canada - Rivers
  2. ^ a b "Rivière Mistassini" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=41542. Retrieved 2010-11-24. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mistassini — is a geographic name which may refer to several geographic features in the Canadian province of Quebec: a part of the city of Dolbeau Mistassini, Mistassini River, Mistassini Lake, the First Nations reserve of Mistissini. This disambiguation page …   Wikipedia

  • Mistassini — Mistassini,   französisch Lac Mistassini [lak si ni], englisch Lake Mistassini [leɪk mɪstə siːnɪ], der größte See in der Provinz Quebec, Kanada, 372 m über dem Meeresspiegel, 2 336 km2 groß, 120 m tief, Abfluss durch den Rupert River zur James… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Mistassini dike swarm — Map of the Matachewan and Mistassini dike swarms of Eastern Canada The Mistassini dike swarm is a 2.5 billion year old Paleoproterozoic dike swarm of western Quebec, Canada. It consists of mafic dikes that were intruded in the Superior …   Wikipedia

  • Mistassini Lake — ▪ lake, Canada French  Lac Mistassini,         largest lake in Quebec province, Canada. It is located in Nord du Québec region in west central Quebec and forms the headwaters of the Rupert River, which drains into James Bay. Bisected by a chain… …   Universalium

  • Mistassini — geographical name 1. lake Canada in S central Quebec draining W to James Bay area 840 square miles (2184 square kilometers) 2. river 185 miles (298 kilometers) Canada in S Quebec flowing S into Lake Saint Jean …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Mistassini,Lake — Mis·tas·si·ni (mĭs tə sēʹnē), Lake A lake of south central Quebec, Canada, draining westward into James Bay by way of the Rupert River. * * * …   Universalium

  • Dolbeau-Mistassini —   City   …   Wikipedia

  • Mistassibi River — Not to be confused with the Mistassini River. Coordinates: 48°53′04″N 72°13′05″W / 48.88444°N 72.21806°W / 48.88444; 7 …   Wikipedia

  • Rivière Mistassini — Mistassini River Vorlage:Infobox Fluss/KARTE fehlt DatenVorlage:Inf …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec — Dolbeau Mistassini is a town in northeastern Quebec, Canada at the confluence of the Mistassibi River, Riviere aux Rats and the Mistassini River, on Lac Saint Jean. Dolbeau Mistassini is in the Maria Chapdelaine Regional County Municipality and… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”