Joel Lapointe, a Canadian planning a simple camping trip in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, stumbled upon something that is usually found… a little differently. While browsing Google Maps for a suitable place to set up camp, he accidentally stumbled upon a huge depression, the shape and size of which were too regular to be the work of nature—without intervention from space.
The man noticed a strange-looking area with a diameter of about 15 kilometers. After further observation, he noticed that around Lake Marsal (eight kilometers in diameter) there was a ring formed of mountains. Intrigued by the unusual terrain, shared his discovery with geophysicist Pierre Rochette.
The scientist quickly began analyzing the topography of the area, which led him to the hypothesis that the formation could be the result of a meteorite impact. Interestingly, his theory was confirmed by the samples collected by the team of scientists. They found zircon showing signs of damage typical of meteorite impacts, which strongly indicates the “extraterrestrial” origin of the crater.
The discovery did not go unnoticed. The scientific community quickly became interested in the crater. Researchers from Western University assessed that the site has a “good chance” of being an impact crater. However, he noted that further research is necessary before final decisions can be made. Not all formations of this type, although they look like meteorite impacts, actually are.
The discovery in Canada has fired up the imagination of many researchers. If further tests confirm that we are dealing with a meteorite crater, it could be a real breakthrough in the study of impact craters in Canada. They are not only rare, but also provide valuable information about the past of our planet and the phenomena that shaped it. If it turns out that the “culprit” here was a meteorite, then the impact could have occurred hundreds of thousands to billions of years ago. It all depends on the scientists’ research.
It’s a bit ironic that a place we use every day to navigate the world’s road map, search for specific points in the city, or review kebabs, among other things, was used to identify a potential impact crater. But what’s wrong with that? True, there are many indications that we are dealing with a meteorite, but final confirmation from researchers is necessary. Even if that’s not the case – for scientists it will still be quite an interesting find: after all, no one has noticed it in this place before.
Source: antyweb.pl
