Perce Rock, Natural arch in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Percé, Quebec, Canada
Percé Rock is a limestone formation in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec. The structure rises roughly 90 meters above the water and stretches over 400 meters in length.
Jacques Cartier described three arches in the formation in 1534, two of which collapsed over the centuries. The remaining opening continues to shape the appearance of the island today.
Samuel de Champlain named it Percé in 1607 for the holes he saw in the limestone. A local legend tells of Blanche de Beaumont, a young noblewoman linked to the rock, and during storms residents call the formation "Le Génie de l'Isle Percée". André Breton wrote part of Arcane 17 about it, and Yvan Goll composed Le Mythe de la Roche percée here in 1946.
Access to the base of the rock has been forbidden since 2009 because of repeated rockfalls. The top of the rock cannot be reached because of its height. Boat trips from Percé to the rock and the Bonaventure Island bird colony take about 75 minutes, and visits run from May 28 to October 12, when park guides explain the geology and fossils.
The limestone holds remains of more than 150 different species from long-vanished seas. These inclusions offer insight into life from several hundred million years ago.
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