A Quebec man was planning a trip when he noticed a strange circular crater on Google Maps; scientists have now confirmed it was a 390-million-year-old meteorite impact crater
In late 2023, amateur astronomer Joël Lapointe was doing something very ordinary: mapping forest roads for a summer road trip in Quebec. When he zoomed in on the northern region on Google Maps, he spotted something that looked unusual. This is a neat circular depression located about 100 kilometers north of Magpie Town.On screen, it looks like a crater in the middle of a forest. For a guy who loves space and meteorites, that was enough to give him pause. “For an amateur astronomer who loved space and loved meteorites, it was pretty cool,” Lapointe later recalled, according to CTV News.
From “This can’t be true” to “Maybe it is”
Lapointe’s first reaction wasn’t to celebrate; But doubt yourself. Of course, he thought, if this was really important, scientists would already know it.“I told myself, ‘You haven’t found anything yet, Joel, there’s no way this is possible, they must already know,'” he reportedly said.But the more he looked, the more the circle bothered him. He checked a database of known impact craters but couldn’t find any listings that matched the location. That absence planted the seed: maybe this was more than just a random geological feature. Maybe this really is something undiscovered.Rather than give up on the idea, Lapointe decided to contact experts.It’s not instant. It took him several attempts to find researchers willing to investigate. Eventually, a French research center became interested in the strange pits he marked. For Lapointe, it was both exciting and nerve-wracking.“It was exciting and I wanted to get the latest news as soon as possible, but I didn’t bother them because they are professionals,” he further shared. He knows that good science takes time.
A cautious scientist, a rugged adventure
News of the potential crater reached Gordon Osinski, a professor of earth sciences at Western University in London, Ontario, who studies impact craters and runs the public reporting website Impact Earth. He’s no stranger to enthusiastic emails about “craters,” which turn out to be quarries, lakes or natural depressions, according to The Canadian Press.So when he first heard about Lapointe’s discovery through a French colleague, he was skeptical. Many so-called discoveries don’t stand up to closer inspection.But this case stands out. The pit’s circular topography looks interesting, and preliminary analysis of rock samples suggests something unusual. Curiosity overcame skepticism, and Osinski eventually co-led an expedition to the site in 2025.The team traveled by seaplane to the remote location. What they found on the ground was rugged, challenging terrain far from the tidy, easily accessible site.“We didn’t really know what to expect, where we could land to get to shore and where we could camp. So we went into the unknown, and I loved that adventure,” Osinski said.
How to prove that this is a crater?
PC: Artificial Intelligence Generation
To confirm that the crater was actually a meteorite impact crater, researchers needed a specific type of evidence. There are two main routes:Look for the meteorite itself or fragments of it within or around structures.Look for signs of extreme pressure and impact energy in the surrounding rocks.For a crater with a diameter of about 25 kilometers, it is much larger than many recent small impacts, so it is unlikely that meteorite fragments will be found. Over hundreds of millions of years, any remaining fragments are often eroded, buried, or otherwise lost.So the team focused on the rocks.On site, they quickly found the key indicators:Fragmentation cones are unique cone-shaped fracture patterns in rocks that are formed under the intense pressure of meteorite impacts.Impact-melted rock is rock that has melted and re-solidified due to the intense heat generated by an impact.These features are not produced by ordinary geological processes. Together they provide a powerful indication of a violent collision from space.“We almost made a bet: ‘How old do you think this crater is?'” Osinski said. At first, he guessed it was somewhere between 3.8 and 200 million years old. The actual age proved to be much older: about 390 million years.This puts the event before dinosaurs, mammals or humans. In an era when life on land was just beginning to take hold, early amphibians were among the pioneers.
Name Uhackatik and add to the shortlist
PC: Artificial Intelligence Generation
Impact craters are very rare, so the confirmation of new ones is big news in Earth science. Globally, one or two may be discovered each year, and many of them are small structures.It’s been a long, quiet period in Canada.“The last crater discovered in Canada was in 2010. It’s been 16 years since we’ve reported any new craters in Canada, so it’s interesting to add this to the list,” Osinski noted.After discussions with the Ekuanitshit Innu Council, the crater was named: Uhackatik. Naming it in partnership with local Aboriginal communities recognizes both its scientific importance and its place on traditional lands.For Lapointe, confirmation comes in stages. The team sent him some details and photos from their expedition, explaining that they had found evidence of an impact. He remembers that moment clearly.“At that moment, I was ecstatic because it was real,” he said.He also had to remain silent initially – sworn to secrecy – until scientists were ready to share their findings publicly and present them at the annual meeting of the German Meteor Society.
From road trip planning to deep time
Lapointe was at work when he finally got permission to talk. He immediately told a colleague and amateur astronomer. Together they try to understand the scale of what he helped uncover.They were thinking of more than just a crater in the forest; they were recalling a time 390 million years ago when a meteorite struck what is now Quebec, leaving a scar large enough to still be visible from space.“Back then, life on Earth was in its infancy. There were primitive amphibians; it takes us back to a completely different time. It’s impressive that after all this time, we still have traces[of that period],” Lapointe said.This story, first reported by The Canadian Press, shows how modern tools like satellite maps can make everyday life more accessible. It also highlights something quietly inspiring: You don’t have to be a professional scientist to make a real contribution. Curiosity, perseverance, and the decision “could this be more?” Can bridge the gap between summer road trip plans and discoveries that belong to Earth’s ancient history.Does thinking about your experience in La Pointe make you look more closely at the landscapes you see on a map or in person and wonder what stories might be hidden in these obvious places?
