Updated

Updated · Smithsonian Magazine · Jul 21

Researchers Confirm 15.5-Mile Quebec Crater After Google Maps Tip From Amateur Astronomer

Updated

Updated · Smithsonian Magazine · Jul 21

Researchers Confirm 15.5-Mile Quebec Crater After Google Maps Tip From Amateur Astronomer

Q: This crater formed just before a mass extinction. Could the impact have triggered the devastation that followed?

Probably not. The newly identified Uhackatik crater is dated to about 390 million years ago, while the Late Devonian extinction unfolded much later, mainly around 375 million and 359 million years ago. That leaves a gap of roughly 15 to 30 million years, which is far too large to support a direct cause-and-effect link of the kind seen with the Chicxulub impact and the dinosaur extinction 66 million years ago. The crater is also modest compared with known extinction-scale impacts. Uhackatik is about 25 kilometers wide, whereas Chicxulub is about 180 kilometers wide and is tied to a global iridium layer, worldwide ejecta, abrupt climate disruption and a mass die-off at the same geological boundary. No such globally recognized extinction marker has been reported for Uhackatik. Scientists studying the Late Devonian extinction more often point to long-running environmental stresses, including ocean deoxygenation, climate swings, carbon-cycle disruption, sea-level change, expanding forests drawing down CO2, and possibly large-scale volcanism. Those explanations fit the drawn-out nature of the Devonian crisis better than a single impact event. That said, the crater’s age does make it scientifically interesting. Researchers will want to refine the dating and compare it with Devonian environmental records. But based on what is known now, Uhackatik is best seen as an important geological discovery, not a likely trigger of the mass extinction that followed millions of years later.

3 articles · Updated · Smithsonian Magazine · Jul 21

390 million years after impact, geologists have confirmed the Uhackatik crater in Quebec’s Côte-Nord region after Joël Lapointe flagged a 15.5-mile ring he spotted while planning a camping trip on Google Maps.
October 2025 fieldwork turned skepticism into proof: Gordon Osinski’s team found shatter cones and broad deposits of impact melt rock, key signatures of a meteorite strike.
The site was named Uhackatik after discussions with the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit, and researchers plan to present the discovery in August at the 88th Annual Meteoritical Society Meeting in Germany.
Only about 200 impact craters are confirmed worldwide, with just one or two typically identified each year; Canada leads all countries because its ancient, stable bedrock preserves such scars.

Sources

Smithsonian Magazine9h ago

Amateur Astronomer's Google Maps Find Leads to Confirmation of 15.5-Mile Uhackatik Meteorite Crater in Quebec

Colombia One10h ago

Scientists Use Google Maps to Confirm 390-Million-Year-Old Crater

Space.com10h ago

Geologist Gordon Osinski Confirms 15-Mile Impact Crater in Quebec Spotted by Amateur Astronomer

4 Sources

A camper's map search found a giant crater. What other huge discoveries are hiding in plain sight on our screens?

This crater formed just before a mass extinction. Could the impact have triggered the devastation that followed?

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The Uhackatik Crater: Quebec’s Newly Confirmed 390-Million-Year-Old Meteorite Impact and Its Global Scientific Impact

Overview

The Uhackatik Crater, recently confirmed as a 390-million-year-old meteorite impact site, marks a landmark geological discovery that began with a Quebecer's keen observation. Despite its large size, the crater remained hidden due to difficult access and the challenges of identifying ancient structures. Its confirmation not only provides crucial insights into Earth's ancient history and the powerful impact events that shaped our planet, but also highlights the ongoing potential for major discoveries even in well-explored regions. This find sets new precedents for scientific exploration and collaboration, showing that significant breakthroughs can still surprise us.

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