Giant pit discovered by hiker on Google Maps confirmed to be 390 million-year-old meteor impact crater

A resident of Quebec discovered a massive circular pit while using Google Maps to plan a camping trip. After spotting the unusual feature on the digital mapping service, the discovery was investigated and subsequently confirmed by scientists to be a meteorite impact crater. This geological site, identified as the Uhackatik crater, is located within the rugged terrain of Canada. The structure is described as a giant pit that had remained hidden from formal scientific recognition for a vast period of time. Extensive coverage of this event has been provided by several major outlets, including Live Science, CBC, and CTV News.

Reports from The Times of India and News18 highlight the irony of the site being hidden in plain view until it was noticed by a citizen using consumer software. WION specifically notes the scale of the discovery, reporting that the crater spans 25km in size. Other outlets such as Yahoo News Canada and PetaPixel emphasized the accidental nature of the find, noting that the individual was acting as a camper and hiker rather than a professional geologist. To understand the significance of this find, coverage from Business Today and News18 emphasizes the extreme age of the site. Scientists have confirmed the crater is 390 million years old, which places its origin significantly before the era of the dinosaurs.

The discovery underscores how modern satellite imagery and tools like Google Maps can reveal ancient geological secrets that were previously obscured by the Canadian landscape. This specific site provides a rare window into the planetary history of the region from millions of years ago. Looking forward, the scientific community will likely focus on the Uhackatik crater to better understand ancient impact events. While the current reporting focuses on the discovery and the confirmation of its age, the Planetary Society has begun documenting the site. Future developments will likely involve more detailed geological surveys of the 25km area to analyze the impact and the composition of the crater, as the initial discovery was made via remote mapping rather than on-site field research.