
Is Mount Royal a dormant volcano?
Gather around folks. You may have heard a rumour going around: is Mount Royal—the handsome hill located in the middle of Montréal—really a former volcano?
Let’s extinguish this volatile rumour for good.
Gather around folks. You may have heard a rumour going around: is Mount Royal—the handsome hill located in the middle of Montréal—really a former volcano?
Let’s extinguish this volatile rumour for good.
For years, stories have been circulating that Mount Royal is a volcano. Some guidebooks have described it as “dormant.” Online articles have called it “sedentary.” Contributors on social platforms such as TripAdvisor and Pinterest have spewed volcanic claims. Please everyone, stop. Before this erupts any further into a lava lake of controversy, let’s set the record straight.
Here is the final and definitive answer: no, Mount Royal is not an ancient volcano.
According to Les amis de la montage (the non-profit group dedicated to the conservation and preservation of Montréal’s crown jewel) the mountain was formed underground 125 million years ago. “Although a mass of magma solidified and hardened below the earth’s crust,” states their website, “it never surfaced as lava. Consequently, there was never any volcanic activity on Mount Royal.”
In other words, Mount Royal is made of volcanic rock. But it’s not a volcano.
Voilà. It’s settled.
Good question. You’re smart. We love smart people. The simple answer is erosion. When time—often millions of years—is combined with just the right weather patterns, nature creates interesting geological shapes. In this specific instance, erosion shaped the beautiful mountain which is popularly known as Mount Royal.
You let a few hundred thousand years go by, and you also get some stunning flora and fauna on the mountain. One example is the iconic maple tree, whose leaves change from green to various shades of gold, crimson, and copper. Perfect to witness in the autumn months.
With hundreds of hectares, Mount Royal Park inevitably offers enough space for everyone. When you’re visiting, here are some things you can do.
The Tourisme Montréal newsletter gives you the inside scoop on everything happening in the city.