- Percé Rock
Percé Rock (French "rocher Percé," "pierced rock") is an island and sheer rock formation in the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence just off the tip of theGaspé Peninsula inQuebec , Canada, near the village of Percé. It is one of the largest and most spectacularnatural arch es in the world.It is a massive
limestone stack 433 metres (1420 ft) long, 90 metres (296 ft) wide, and 88 metres (289 ft) at its highest point. The rock gets its name from a large 15 metre (50 ft) high arch near its seaward end.Together with
Bonaventure Island , Percé Rock is part of theParc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé .There were actually two arches in the rock, when the outer arch collapsed on
June 17 ,1845 . For four hours at a time during lowtide , the water recedes from a wide spit that allows the rock itself to be visited. Percé Rock is a major tourist attraction in Quebec, with picturesque views of the rock from both Percé and nearbyBonaventure Island . It contains millions of marinefossil s such astrilobite s,tetracoralla ,brachiopod s andostracod s from theDevonian period.Percé Rock is the locale of
André Breton 's surrealist text Arcanum 17, of which it is the major motif.A made-in-Quebec animated feature film titled "Vinland, the Legend of Percé Rock" is in the planning stages. [http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070104/CPARTS01/701040639/1017/CPARTS]
As of May 2008, access to Percé Rock is only possible while being accompanied by a guide. Contact Parcs Quebec for more information.
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