A mysterious 15-mile-wide pit found on Google Maps sparked a massive scientific investigation: Now there is finally an answer

Objects from outer space falling to Earth is a fairly common occurrence, with around 40,100 tons of interplanetary dust and meteoroids entering our atmosphere. Only a fraction of that material manages to make it the surface with the rest burning up harmlessly.

Every now and then, one of those pieces of debris leftover from the creation of our solar system is big enough to leave a mark, and sometimes an extremely big one. Take for example the Chicxulub crater, created by the event that is believed to have killed off the dinosaurs. It is 93 to 124 miles in diameter and roughly 12 miles deep.

It took just over a decade to locate the impact site of that asteroid from the time that it was proposed, as the 66-million-year-old crater had largely been buried under younger rock and sediments, as well as half of it lies submerged in the Gulf of Mexico.

Other craters lie in plain sight, but just haven’t been identified until a keen eye distinguishes the telltale signs that it is there. This was the case of the recently confirmed Uhaachatik Crater in Quebec.

Amateur astronomer finds large meteorite impact crater

Amateur astronomer Joël Lapointe stumbled across the impact crater while planning a camping vacation in the Côte-Nord region using Google Maps. He noticed a large pit centered around Lake Marsal about 62 miles north of Magpie, Quebec.

He brought his discovery to the attention of professional researchers like French geophysicist Pierre Rochette. The scientist told CBC at the time that the topography of the location was “very suggestive of impact.” Furthermore, samples that he had already received from the site contained zircon, a mineral often formed during meteor impacts.

Finally, roughly a year later in October 2025, a team of investigators was able to visit the site. Once there they found telltale signs of a meteor impact including the existence of shatter cones. These appear like grooves or lines in the surface of rocks.

Additionally, there were cliffs of impact melt rock produced by the incredible heat and pressure created by the meteor crashing into the Earth’s surface. By analyzing samples that they took from the rocks, the researchers were able to date the impact to 390 million years ago.

Gordon Osinski, who participated in the expedition to the impact site told Live Science that he gets messages all the time from people who think they’ve discovered a meteor impact crater. “99 out of 100 turn out not to be the case. This is one of those rare examples that shows this is possible,” he reflected.

The crater measures about 15.5 miles in diameter. While one or two are typically discovered each year, one of this size “is pretty rare,” Osinski noted.

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