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Dominique River facts for kids

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Dominique River
Dominique River is located in Quebec
Dominique River
Other name(s) Rivière Dominique
Country Canada
Province Quebec
Region Côte-Nord
RCM Sept-Rivières
Physical characteristics
Main source 201 metres (659 ft)
River mouth Gulf of Saint Lawrence
0 metres (0 ft)
50°01′35″N 66°52′05″W / 50.0263889°N 66.8680556°W / 50.0263889; -66.8680556
Length 50 kilometres (31 mi)
Basin features
Basin size 263 square kilometres (102 sq mi)

The Dominique River (also known as French: Rivière Dominique in French) is a river in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It flows into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Where is the Dominique River?

The Dominique River flows from north to south for about 50 kilometres (31 mi) (31 miles). It drops 201 metres (659 ft) (659 feet) from its source to its mouth.

  • The river has one important branch called the Foins River (Hay River). This branch drains the southeastern part of the river's area.
  • The Dominique River ends in the town of Port-Cartier. This town is in the Sept-Rivières area.
  • At its mouth, the river meets a part of the Aux Rochers River. This meeting point is in the Rivière-aux-Rochers Park.
  • You can find a trail in the park that leads to the beautiful Dominique River waterfall.
  • The name "Dominique River" became official on December 5, 1968. However, no one knows for sure where the name came from.

What is a River Basin?

A river basin is the entire area of land where water drains into a specific river. Think of it like a giant funnel.

  • The Dominique River basin stretches from north to south. It is about 42 kilometres (26 mi) (26 miles) long and up to 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) (7.5 miles) wide.
  • The total area of the basin is 263 square kilometres (102 sq mi) (102 square miles).
  • It sits between the Aux Rochers River basin to the west and the Sainte-Marguerite River basin to the east.
  • Most of the basin (65.8%) is in a wild, unorganized area called Lac-Walker. The rest (34.2%) is within the town of Port-Cartier.
  • A part of the river basin is inside the Port-Cartier–Sept-Îles Wildlife Reserve.
  • Another part is in the proposed Lake Pasteur Biodiversity Reserve. These reserves help protect the natural environment.

What is the Land Like?

The land around the Dominique River changes as you move from north to south.

  • The northern part of the basin is a rocky plateau. A plateau is a high, flat area of land. Here, the slopes can rise by 300 metres (980 ft) (980 feet). The highest point in the basin is 533 metres (1,749 ft) (1,749 feet) high.
  • Below the plateau is a "piedmont" region. This area is about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) (9.3 miles) long. It has rounded rocky hills that are up to 300 metres (980 ft) (980 feet) high.
  • Finally, there's a coastal plain. This is a flat strip of land about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) (5.6 miles) wide. It gently slopes down from 100 metres (330 ft) (330 feet) to sea level.

The rocks under the ground are mostly magmatic rocks. These are rocks formed from melted rock deep inside the Earth. They include migmatite, granitoid rocks, and granitic gneiss. In many places, these rocks are visible on the surface. In other areas, there's a layer of glacial till (rock and dirt left by glaciers) up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) (6.6 feet) deep. In the main valleys, you can find large amounts of glaciofluvial sediments (sand and gravel carried by meltwater from glaciers).

After the last ice age, the Goldthwait Sea covered the coastal plain. It left behind a lot of clay and silt. As the land slowly rose up (because the heavy ice was gone), the sea pulled back. This left the marine sediments, which were then covered by sandier deposits from the river's mouth.

Water and Lakes

Lakes and other water bodies make up about 5.72% of the Dominique River basin.

  • The two main lakes are Lake Morin (6.37 square kilometres (2.46 sq mi) or 2.46 square miles) and Little Lake Anguille (2.58 square kilometres (1.00 sq mi) or 1.00 square mile).
  • About 6.15% of the basin is covered by peatlands. These are wetlands where dead plant material builds up. They are mostly found on the flat coastal plain, where water tends to stay.
  • The rivers and streams follow zig-zag paths. These paths are shaped by cracks in the hard bedrock.
  • Upstream, the rivers flow in straight lines through narrow valleys. Downstream, they wind gently through the softer ground of the coastal plain.
  • The average amount of water flowing out of the Dominique River each year is about 9.3 cubic metres per second (330 cu ft/s) (330 cubic feet per second). This flow changes throughout the year, from 1.97 to 22.1 cubic metres per second (70 to 780 cu ft/s) (70 to 780 cubic feet per second).

Plants and Animals

The weather station near the river mouth records an average temperature of 1.9 °C (35.4 °F) (35.4|F) each year. The area gets about 1,154 millimetres (45.4 in) (45.4 inches) of rain annually.

The forest cover changes depending on the area:

The river is home to different fish species:

Protecting the River

Most of the Dominique River's watershed (the area that drains into the river) is protected.

  • It is almost entirely within the Port-Cartier–Sept-Îles Wildlife Reserve. This large reserve covers 6,423 square kilometres (2,480 sq mi) (2,480 square miles). About 224 square kilometres (86 sq mi) (87 square miles) of the Dominique River basin is inside this reserve, which is about 87.5% of its total area.
  • The proposed Lake Pasteur Biodiversity Reserve also extends into the western part of the watershed. This area is protected to help keep its natural environment safe. It was set up in 2003. This proposed reserve covers 634.4 square kilometres (244.9 sq mi) (244.9 square miles) in total. About 45.9 square kilometres (17.7 sq mi) (17.7 square miles) of it is in the Dominique watershed. This includes Lake Morin and Little Lake Anguille.
  • Near the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the river basin touches the Port-Cartier West Waterfowl Concentration Area. This area is important for birds.
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