Places, Traditions and Discoveries · Drawing 16 of 40
Mingan’s stone giants
Côte-Nord
In the Mingan Archipelago, water and time have shaped amazing rocks. These tall limestone columns are called monoliths.
Look together
What does this rock remind you of?
An idea to try
Draw a rock’s outline on a sheet. Each person suggests two different things it could resemble.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The Mingan Archipelago’s monoliths are shaped from limestone whose history goes back more than 450 million years. The rock formed in an ancient marine environment. Much later, water, wind and freezing and thawing helped uncover and transform the shapes seen today.
Distinguish the age of the rock from the age of its current shape: it did not always look like a tall column. Begin with a playful comparison: a mushroom, giant or animal? Then explain that the resemblance comes from our imagination, while natural processes shaped the rock.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
An imagined monolith inspired by Mingan’s large forms; no particular formation or human-made sculpture is reproduced.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Parks Canada — When stone recounts the past (Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve)Age and marine origin of the limestone; the role of erosion, waves, wind, and freezing and thawing.
Page prepared on September 12, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec Treasures to Colour
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