The Seine river rises in the Langres Plateau of the Cote d'Or, and flows 776km through Paris, entering the English Channel at Le Havre. It is the main river of north central France, draining the entire Paris basin.
The Seine mascaret has a long history, and its unpredictability was the bain of navigation up river to Rouen. While the result of large spring tides, the power of the mascaret was also determined by the large variable sandbars at the river's mouth. The mascaret could travel 80km upstream as far as Rouen and a mascaret was also observed on the tributary river Risle of a much smaller magnitude.
With the loss of over two hundred ships in sixty years at the turn of the twentieth century, the mascaret was finally suppressed completely following dredging of the estuary and completion of the Tancarville canal in 1963. The mascaret has occasionally been observed since, but only under extreme conditions.
STATISTICS
LOCATION: 49º30'N, 000º24'E
MAXIMUM HEIGHT: Extinct (previously 7.3 m)
AVERAGE SPEED: (previously 20 km h-1)
BEST TIME OF YEAR: n/a
TERRAINE: Estuarine and fluvial
FEAR FACTOR: -
MAPS
NOTABLE INTERNET SITES
The Tidal Bore of the Seine River, France
An excellent account of the Seine Mascaret by Professor Hubert Chanson, detailing its occurance and damage it caused. With links to other related tidal bore sites.
Le Mascaret En Vallee De Seince (In French)
A well detailed site with detailed information and theory of the Seine Mascaret. Also includes accounts from newspapers of the bore before it was suppressed.
LOCATION: 49º30'N, 000º24'E
