| Rivière de Puvirnituq | |
| Name Other: | Puvirnituq River, Rivière de Povungnituk |
| Name Etymology: | From the Inuktitut "smells like rotten meat" |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Quebec |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the river in Quebec |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Nord-du-Québec |
| Subdivision Type4: | District |
| Subdivision Name4: | Kativik |
| Length: | 389km (242miles) |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 480m3/s |
| Source1: | Unnamed lake |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 61.7256°N -73.3106°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 588m (1,929feet) |
| Mouth: | Hudson Bay |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 60.0264°N -77.3328°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 0m (00feet) |
| River System: | Atlantic Ocean drainage basin |
| Basin Size: | 28500km2 |
The Rivière de Puvirnituq (English: Puvirnituq River; formerly the Rivière de Povungnituk[1]) is a river in Kativik, Nord-du-Québec, Quebec, Canada.[2] [3] The river flows 389km (242miles)[4] from its source at an unnamed lake to Hudson Bay at the village of Puvirnituq. Its watershed encompasses 28500km2.[5] The name of the river comes from the Inuktitut "smells like rotten meat."
The "Povungnituk River" crosses for 40.9 km from east to west the northern limit of the Pingualuit National Park which is characterized by the Pingualuit crater. This crater is located 16.7 km south of the "Puvirnituq River".
The surface of the Puvirnituq River is generally frozen annually from October to June (sometimes until July). In the summer, a supply boat moves into the bay for about, to the village of Puvirnituq; barges are then used to connect the boat and the dock. Sometimes during the spring flood, ice jams form on the river.
Sport fishing is popular at the foot of the first (about), second (about) and third (about) falls from the confluence of this river and Hudson Bay.
The surrounding hydrographic slopes of the Puvirnituq River are:
'Course of the river from the head' (segment of)
The "Puvirnituq River" originates from a small unnamed lake (elevation:) of mountain located west of the watershed between the Ungava Bay watershed, Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait.
This head lake (length: ; width:) is surrounded by mountains of more than in altitude on the south side, on the north-west side and on the east side. This lake is located at northeast of Rinfret Lake which flows into the Deception River East (which is part of the Hudson Strait), north of Raglan Lake and west of the northern village of Kangiqsujuaq located on the west shore of Ungava Bay.
From the mouth (located to the south) of the lake, the water flows into the "Puvirnituq River" which flows south through some lakes formed by the lake. flare of the river. From there, the river branches off to the west where it flows over to cross a river coming from the north.
Then the river flows south on to the outlet of Lake Saint-Germain (coming from the south), the northern limit of Pingualuit National Park. The latter lake is located northeast of Manarsulik Lake (formerly Lacflamme Lake), which is the head lake of the Vachon River, a tributary of the Arnaud River. The latter flows north-east to spill over the western coast of Ungava Bay. The Pingualuit crater is located south of Manarsulik Lake at .
From the outlet of Lake Saint-Germain, the "Puvirnituq River" flows westward (to the outlet of lake Nantais. Then the river resumes its course on a last segment of, crossing Lake Natirnaaliup Tasinga and another lake until pouring on the northeast shore of Lake Lallemand.
'Course downstream of Lake Lallemand' (segment of)
The Puvirnituq River takes its headwaters from Lallemand Lake (length: in the north–south direction, width:). This complex form of water has some dozens of islands, many peninsulas and bays. This lake receives on the northeastern side the waters of the Little Puvirnituq River. South of the lake, the mouth is a strait of long, crossing several bodies of water. The river flows south on crossing a body of water formed by the widening of the river. Then the river continues south (to the north shore of Chamberlaine Lake, which flows westward on (including the strait that connects Chamberlaine Lake to the following body of water).
Puvirnituq Bay is located on Hudson Bay; it has a secondary bay stretching over inland until the firstwhich is formed by the Avarqutaak Islands. Going up these falls and the Kuukallak pass, one reaches the Puvirnituq lake which is crossed by the Puvirnituq river.
The village of Puvirnituq is located on the north shore of the latter bay, facing Fat Island and Qikirtaaluk Island. The Formal River (coming from the South-East) flows to the south shore of this bay, ie from the entrance to the bay.
The main tributaries of the Puvirnituq River are:
While flowing to the southwest, the river flows through Papittukaaq Lake and Puvirnituq Lake before spilling over the eastern shore of Hudson Bay at the height of the village of Puvirnituq .
The term "Puvirnituq" is used to refer to the northern village, lake, river, small river, mountains and national park reserve. This term comes from the word "puvirniq" meaning "rotten meat" because the animal swelled and rotted before being opened.[6]
The toponym "rivière de Puvirnituq" was formalized on February 23, 1995 at the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[7]