While searching for a camping spot on Google Maps, Joël Lapointe (Canada) unexpectedly discovered a mysterious crater.
The crater Joël Lapointe found is located in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. Scientists suggest that it could be an ancient meteorite impact crater.
Suspicious Crater
Lapointe reported that the crater has a diameter of about 15 km, with a rather suspicious curved shape. He then noticed a small mountain ring with a diameter of approximately 8 km surrounding Lake Marsal, located about 100 km north of the village of Magpie, Quebec.
Meteorite crater seen in Google Earth images – (Photo: Gordon Osinski).
Lapointe reached out to professional researchers and eventually got in touch with Pierre Rochette, a geophysicist at the Geological and Environmental Research Center in Aix-en-Provence, France.
“The terrain suggests a lot about a possible impact event,” Rochette stated.
According to Rochette, through analysis of samples taken from the site, they recorded at least one sample containing zircon – a resilient mineral that has transformed under the impact.
Helping to Find Connections Between Earth and Outer Space
According to NASA, impact craters are formed when a meteorite strikes a planet’s surface at speeds of thousands of kilometers per hour, creating shock waves that melt and recrystallize rock.
Tara Hayden, a postdoctoral researcher in the Earth Sciences department at Western University, noted that some craters could be millions or even hundreds of millions of years old.
She mentioned that meteorites can vary in type and may originate from ancient planets or material from the early Solar System. “They can tell us about the time they arrived on Earth. And we have the opportunity to uncover the connection between Earth and the outer universe,” Hayden explained.
Gordon Osinski, a professor of Earth Sciences at Western University, reported that 31 of nearly 200 confirmed impact craters worldwide are located in Canada. These are typically found in ancient rock regions, with nearly one-third of these sites located in Quebec.
Before officially classifying the suspected crater as an impact site, the research team will need to conduct various tests. One indicator of an impact crater is the presence of shattered cone formations, which appear as grooves or patterns on the rock surface.
Osinski expressed hope to visit the site next year.
