Kazabazua, Quebec

Kazabazua is a village and municipality in La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. The village is about halfway between Maniwaki and Hull at the intersection of Route 105 and Route 301, just west of the Gatineau River.The village and municipality are named after the Kazabazua River which passes through it. Like many other Amerindian names, Kazabazua has had many spellings, such as Kazaluzu, Kasubasua, Cazabasua, Cazibazouis, Cazebalzuac, Cajibajouis. This word comes from the Algonquin word kachibadjiwan, from kach ("hidden") and djiwan ("current"), hence it means "underground river". This name is a reflection of the local topography because the Kazabazua River disappears underground and resurfaces a few dozen metres downstream. The river then flows through rapids and passes under a natural stone bridge.The communities of Kazabazua Station, Aylwin, and Aylwin Station are also located within the municipality.GeographyThe bedrock of the region Kazabazua is composed predominantly of marble dating from the Precambrian Era and represent metamorphic sedimentary rocks from the Grenville orogeny.At the Kazabazua River, marble is calcitic and contains crystals of graphite and grossular garnet. The marble has been chemically and mechanically eroded by water from the river to form a karst stone bridge. The inclusion of gneiss in the marble illustrates erosion differential.