Editing Magdalen Islands (section)

== Geography ==
The Magdalen Islands are the jagged remains of a vanished part of the mainland. Approximately {{convert|78|mi|order=flip}} in combined area,<ref name="Soil Science of the Magdalen Islands">{{cite web |author1=Lauréan Tardif |title=Soil Science of the Magdalen Islands |url=https://sis.agr.gc.ca/siscan/publications/surveys/pq/pq27/pq27_report.pdf |publisher=Ministère de l'Agriculture of de is Colonisation |access-date=21 March 2024 |language=fr |format=9 of 51 |date=1967 |quote=Study of land use opportunities for agricultural use}}</ref> they form a string of islands and beaches in the southeastern part of the [[Gulf of St Lawrence|Gulf of St. Lawrence]].

The rocks that make up the island massifs are of three kinds: horizontal and soft [[sandstone]]s, of a blood-red color, which give the archipelago a distinctive character. These red sandstones are juxtaposed with harder, grey sandstones, which also form [[cliff]]s in some places. Finally, volcanic actions created rounded, symmetrical domes like breasts, which were given the name of Demoiselles (or "young ladies"),<ref name="Section des Îles-de-la-Madeleine">{{cite web |author1=Frère Marie-Victorin |author2=Ernest Rouleau |title=Section des Îles-de-la-Madeleine |url=https://florelaurentienne.com/flore/EsquisseGenerale/Equilibre/Sous_regions/3_c_3_b_Sec_Iles_de_la_Madeleine.htm |website=florelaurentienne.com |publisher=Les presses de l'Université de Montréal |access-date=21 March 2024 |pages=925 |language=fr |date=1964 |quote=Volcanic actions created rounded, symmetrical domes like breasts, and which were given the name of Demoiselles}}</ref> though this is disputed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/Fiche.aspx?no_seq=301874 |title=Les Demoiselles |author=Commission de toponymie Québec |publisher=Les Publications du Québec |pages=925 |date=2006 |access-date=28 March 2024 |language=fr}}</ref> Where volcanic effusions have come into contact with sandstones, large masses of [[gypsum]] are found.

A group of seven islands form the central core of the archipelago: Île du Havre Aubert (known locally as Amherst Island),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/Fiche.aspx?no_seq=28200 |author=Commission de toponymie Québec |title=Île du Havre Aubert |access-date=28 March 2024 |language=fr}}</ref> [[Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec#Cap-aux-Meules (Village)|Île du Cap aux Meules]] (known locally as Grindstone),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/Fiche.aspx?no_seq=10393 |author=Commission de toponymie Québec |title=Île du Cap aux Meules |access-date=28 March 2024 |language=fr}}</ref> Île du Havre aux Maisons (known locally as House Harbour),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/Fiche.aspx?no_seq=28205 |author=Commission de toponymie Québec |title=Île du Havre aux Maisons |access-date=28 March 2024 |language=fr}}</ref> Île aux Loups (known locally as Seal Island),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/Fiche.aspx?no_seq=70208 |author=Commission de toponymie Québec |title=Île aux Loups |date=1994–1996 |access-date=28 March 2024 |language=fr}}</ref> Grosse Île (home to most of the Islands' English-speaking community), Île d'Entrée (known locally as Entry Island, home to a small English-speaking community) and [[Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec#Grande-Entrée_(Village)|Île de la Grande-Entrée]]. These islands are connected together by sand spits or [[tombolo]]s.

On the outskirts of the main islands are a series of islets and rocks which are remnants of marine erosion; in the lagoons separating these islands, are Île aux Goélands and the surrounding islets near [[Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec#L'Étang-du-Nord (Village)|Étang-du-Nord]] on the south-west coast of Île du Cap aux Meules (Grindstone), Île Rouge and Île Paquet (formerly Île aux Cochons)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/Fiche.aspx?no_seq=324125 |author=Commission de toponymie Québec |title=Île Paquet |access-date=28 March 2024 |language=fr }}</ref> at the entrance to the lagoon of Havre aux Maisons (House Harbour), Île Shag to the east of the Dune du Sud. In the gulf north of the archipelago, cliffs of the reddish and greyish green sandstone, a few hundred feet high and relatively unmarked by sea erosion, give a fortress-like appearance to [[Brion Island|Île Brion]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/Fiche.aspx?no_seq=8365 |author=Commission de toponymie Québec |title=Île Brion |date=1994–1996 |access-date=28 March 2024 |language=fr}}</ref> and the [[Rochers aux Oiseaux]].

Supporting the islands is a series of [[shoal]]s and [[reef]]s that are permanent hazards to maritime navigation.<ref name="Magdalen Islands geological report">{{cite web |author1=Roland Sanschagrin |title=Magdalen Island Geological report 106 |url=https://gq.mines.gouv.qc.ca/documents/EXAMINE/RG106(A)/RG106(A).pdf |publisher=Province of Quebec, department of natural resources |access-date=29 February 2024 |pages=9, 11 of 65 |date=1964 |quote=In comparing different maps, it appears that the tombolo being built between Havre-Aubert and Entrée islands has changed considerably in form over the years.}}</ref> The archipelago has been considered, for more than 400 years, as one of the richest marine regions of Eastern [[Canada]].<ref name="Dune-du-Nord M Grandtner">{{cite web |author1=Miroslav M. Grandtner |title=A string of islands and beaches: the Magdalen Islands |url=https://archives.bape.gouv.qc.ca/sections/mandats/Consultation_IlesDelaMadeleine/documents/DM3.1.pdf |publisher=Quatre-Temps Vol. 21, no 3 |access-date=5 March 2024 |pages=4 |language=fr |date=2017-05-20 |quote=A true jewel of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a treasure trove of natural resources that must be used with caution, love and intelligence.}}</ref>