A Google Maps search may have uncovered an ancient meteorite crater

What began as a search for hiking routes on Google Maps ended with the possible discovery of what researchers say may one of the largest meteorite impact craters identified in recent years.

Joël Lapointe, an amateur astronomer from Quebec, Canada, spotted an unusual circular depression while planning a camping and road trip through the Côte-Nord region in late 2023, according to the Canadian Press. The formation, measuring about 15.5 miles across and located roughly 62 miles north of the town of Magpie, caught his attention because it resembled a meteorite crater.

"I told myself, 'You haven't discovered anything, Joël, it's not possible, they must already know about this,'" Lapointe told the Canadian Press. After failing to find the feature in existing crater databases, he reached out to researchers, setting off an investigation that ultimately confirmed his suspicion, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Now, geologists say the structure, named Uhackatik following consultations with the Ekuanitshit Innu Council, was created by a meteorite impact about 390 million years ago. Researchers are expected to present the discovery at the 88th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society in Germany in August, according to the Canadian Press.

Scientists found telltale evidence of an ancient impact

Lapointe's report eventually reached Gordon Osinski, a planetary geologist at Western University in Ontario who oversees the university's Impact Earth database, where members of the public can submit reports of potential impact craters, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Osinski, who said he frequently receives reports that turn out not to be impact sites, was initially skeptical. But the crater's circular topography and preliminary analysis of rock samples convinced him and his colleagues to investigate further, according to the Canadian Press.

The research team traveled to the remote site by float plane in 2025 and encountered rugged terrain that made the expedition especially challenging.

"This was one of the most arduous expeditions I've ever done," Osinski told Live Science.

During the expedition, researchers identified shatter cones, cone-shaped rock formations created by powerful shock waves, along with well-preserved impact melt rock, material formed when the intense heat and pressure of a meteorite strike melts surrounding rock, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Those features are considered definitive evidence of an ancient impact.

USA TODAY has reached out to Osinski for more information.

One of the largest crater discoveries in recent years

Researchers estimate the crater formed about 390 million years ago, during a time when Earth was home to primitive amphibians, long before dinosaurs, mammals or humans, according to the Canadian Press.

Osinski told the Canadian Press that scientists typically identify only one or two new impact craters worldwide each year and that Canada had not reported a newly discovered crater since 2010. He also told Space.com the newly identified crater is likely one of the biggest found in recent years.

Scientists are continuing to examine rock samples for additional microscopic evidence of the impact before publishing their findings, according to Space.com.

Why the discovery matters

Scientists say ancient impact craters are rare because erosion and geologic activity gradually erase evidence of collisions over hundreds of millions of years. Well-preserved sites like Uhackatik help researchers better understand how meteorite impacts shaped Earth and provide comparisons for craters on the moon, Mars and other rocky worlds, according to Space.com.

For Lapointe, the confirmation transformed an ordinary map search into an extraordinary scientific contribution.

"It's not every day that an ordinary citizen finds a 390-million-year-old crater," Lapointe told Radio-Canada. "I encourage everyone to not ignore intuition or an observation, even if it isn't part of your field of expertise."

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at [email protected], or on X @athompsonUSAT

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A Google Maps search may have uncovered an ancient meteorite crater