Quebec satellite map reveals 390‑million‑year‑old impact crater

An amateur astronomer, using satellite imagery to locate a remote camping spot in Quebec, unexpectedly identified a vast circular anomaly on the ground. The feature, later measured at roughly 25 kilometres across, was initially thought to be a natural geological formation until its shape and size raised questions about a possible impact origin.

Geologists subsequently examined the site and uncovered shatter cones—conical fractures that form only under the extreme pressures of a meteorite strike. The presence of these structures confirmed that the 25‑kilometre-wide depression is an impact crater created by a meteorite event about 390 million years ago, during the late Paleozoic era. The crater’s age places it in the Carboniferous period, a time of significant tectonic and climatic changes in North America.

The find expands the catalog of known impact structures in Canada and offers a new window into the planet’s geological history. Researchers plan to conduct further studies to understand the crater’s formation, erosion history, and its role in shaping the local landscape.