Canadian man spots 390-million-year-old meteor crater on Google Maps while planning camping trip

A Canadian man searching for a camping spot on Google Maps ended up making an extraordinary geological discovery. He spotted a strange, perfectly circular pit on the satellite imagery. What he initially thought was a natural formation turned out to be a massive meteor crater, roughly 390 million years old and spanning 25 kilometres.

The man, whose name has not been disclosed, was browsing the map of Quebec's remote Côte-Nord region. The unusual circular depression caught his eye. He shared the location with scientists at the Canadian Space Agency and local universities.

Scientists confirm the crater's origin

Researchers from the Université du Québec à Montréal and the Geological Survey of Canada examined the site. They confirmed the pit is a meteor impact crater, formed during the Devonian period. That era, often called the Age of Fishes, predates dinosaurs by over 100 million years.

The crater measures 25 km in diameter, making it one of the largest known impact structures in Canada. Its age and size place it among significant global impact events. The crater had remained undetected for centuries because it is hidden under forest cover and a layer of sediment.

How Google Maps revealed the hidden structure

Satellite imagery has become a powerful tool for geological discovery. The crater's circular shape is clearly visible from space, but on the ground it is barely noticeable. Trees and soil have filled the depression over millions of years.

“This is a perfect example of how citizen science can lead to major findings,” said Dr. Marie-Claude Williamson, a geologist involved in the study. She noted that the crater's rim is still slightly elevated, which is why it appeared as a ring on the map. The impact would have vaporised rock and thrown debris across hundreds of kilometres.

The discovery was first reported by CPG Click Oil and Gas and later picked up by CBC and The Times of India. Scientists are now planning an expedition to the site to collect rock samples for further analysis.

What the crater tells us about Earth's history

Meteor impacts of this size are rare. They can alter climate and ecosystems. The Devonian period saw the spread of forests and the first amphibians. A strike of this magnitude would have caused a local mass extinction.

Researchers believe the impactor was a rocky asteroid at least 1.5 km wide. It hit the region at a speed of roughly 20 km per second. The heat and pressure created a crater 25 km across and several kilometres deep.

“The fact that this crater went unnoticed for so long shows how much we still have to learn about our planet,” Williamson added. The team plans to use ground-penetrating radar to map the crater's structure in detail.

The man who made the initial sighting will be credited in the scientific paper documenting the find. Officials have not yet confirmed whether the site will be opened to the public or protected as a heritage area.

The discovery adds to a growing list of impact craters found using satellite data. In recent years, similar craters have been identified in Egypt and Argentina. Scientists expect more such finds as high-resolution imagery becomes widely available.