An amateur astronomer planning a camping trip discovered a massive 390-million-year-old impact crater in northeastern Quebec using Google Maps. Scientists confirmed the 25-kilometer-wide structure, named the Uhakkatik crater, after a 2025 expedition uncovered shatter cones and impact melt rock.
A routine search on satellite mapping software turned up an ancient geological secret in the remote landscapes of northeastern Quebec. While plotting routes for an upcoming excursion, an amateur astronomer spotted a massive ring-shaped depression near Lake Marsal. That digital observation launched a scientific investigation that culminated in the formal verification of a 390-million-year-old impact crater.
The structure, measuring approximately 25 kilometers in diameter, dates back to the Devonian Period, long before dinosaurs roamed Earth. Planetary geologists have officially named the site the Uhakkatik crater after consulting with the local Indigenous community.
From a Campsite Search to a Satellite Discovery
The discovery began in 2024 when Joël Lapointe was studying the Côte-Nord region on his computer screen. The circular formation surrounding Lake Marsal caught his eye immediately, standing out sharply against the surrounding terrain. Though he suspected the anomaly was crater-like, his initial reaction was one of disbelief.
After checking public impact crater databases and finding no record of the formation, Lapointe shared the coordinates with planetary geologists. His tip landed with Gordon Osinski, a planetary geology professor at Western University who directs the Impact Earth initiative. Osinski receives numerous reports of potential impact sites, most of which turn out to be ordinary geological formations shaped by glaciers, erosion, or volcanic activity. However, the Lake Marsal ring possessed distinctive characteristics that justified a dedicated field expedition.
Challenging Fieldwork in Remote Northern Quebec
Confirming an impact structure in the Canadian wilderness requires physical evidence that cannot be gathered from orbit. In 2025, Osinski led a team on a five-day expedition into the isolated region to examine the bedrock.
Reaching the site proved difficult. Dense vegetation prevented the researchers’ float plane from landing directly on the shore, forcing the team to wade through more than 160 feet of water while carrying their scientific instruments. Once ashore, they documented cliff exposures and gathered specimens for laboratory analysis in Canada and France.
Osinski added that the project marked a notable milestone in his career, noting that This is the first for me
after years of investigating false alarms.
Shatter Cones and Impact Melt Rock Prove the Strike
Satellite imagery can identify topographical anomalies, but definitive confirmation requires microscopic and structural markers within the rocks. Laboratory testing of the samples collected in Quebec provided the necessary proof.
Researchers identified impact melt rock along the cliff faces, material created when the extreme thermal energy of a hypervelocity collision liquefies surrounding ground material. On the second day of the expedition, the team made an even more definitive find.
The researchers discovered shatter cones, which are conical fractures associated mainly with meteorite impacts and underground nuclear explosions.
Shatter cones form when powerful shock waves propagate through solid rock, producing distinct conical fractures. Their presence serves as a primary diagnostic indicator for meteorite impacts. Laboratory dating of these shock features established the 390-million-year-old age estimate.
Cultural Collaboration and Global Context
The newly confirmed crater rests squarely within the traditional territory of the Innu of Ekuanitshit. Before finalizing the scientific designation, researchers engaged in consultations with the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit to name the site Uhakkatik, grounding the geological discovery in its local geography and Indigenous heritage.
The addition of Uhakkatik brings the global catalog of confirmed impact structures to approximately 200. Because Earth’s active erosion, plate tectonics, and weathering constantly erase ancient scars, confirmed impact sites are rare. Scientists typically verify only one or two new craters worldwide each year.
The research team plans to present its findings to the broader scientific community at the Meteoritical Society’s 88th annual meeting in Germany, allowing planetary geologists worldwide to review the data and expand the historical record of ancient impacts on Earth.
