Quebec man’s Google Maps discovery confirmed as ancient meteorite crater

A man from Quebec was planning a camping trip when he noticed something odd on Google Maps: a near-perfect circular pit in a remote stretch of land. That curiosity has now been confirmed as a 390-million-year-old meteorite impact crater.

Scientists who investigated the site say the depression was carved by a meteorite that struck Earth nearly 400 million years ago. The timing puts the impact in the Devonian Period, when life was just beginning to move onto land.

An accidental discovery

The pit was spotted by a Quebec man whose name has not been publicly released. He was scouting locations online when the unusual circular formation caught his eye. He later contacted researchers, who decided to take a closer look.

Geologists from local universities visited the site and collected rock samples. Analysis of those samples revealed tell-tale signs of a meteorite impact, including shocked quartz and unusual mineral deformation patterns.

What the crater reveals

The crater measures roughly 15 kilometres across, making it a significant impact structure. It is now considered one of the oldest known impact craters in Canada, a country that already hosts several well-preserved examples.

Researchers say the impact would have been catastrophic, releasing energy equivalent to millions of tonnes of TNT. The event likely caused local extinction and possibly affected global climate patterns at the time.

Officials have not yet confirmed whether the site will be protected or opened for public visits. The remote location may make access difficult, but scientists hope to continue studying the crater for clues about Earth's ancient past.

How Google Maps aids science

This is not the first time satellite imagery has led to a major geological find. In recent years, armchair explorers have helped identify previously unknown craters, archaeological sites, and even lost cities using platforms like Google Earth.

Scientists say the discovery underscores the value of citizen science. A curious eye, combined with powerful online tools, can still uncover secrets hidden for millions of years.

The Quebec man's camping trip may have been postponed, but his find has given geologists a new window into the violent history of our planet.

What comes next is further analysis of the crater's structure and age. Researchers plan to publish a detailed study in a peer-reviewed journal, while the search for more such pits continues — one Google Maps scroll at a time.