Man casually browsing Google Maps chances upon a massive, mysterious pit
Google Maps has helped make navigation so much easier. Finding the right locations is just a click away. However, sometimes, the application's purpose is greater than just finding places and addresses. Google Maps has also helped many find geological discoveries and Joël Lapointe can totally agree with this. The man was browsing the region of Quebec's Côte-Nord when he came across something extraordinary, per CBC News. What looked like a pit piqued Lapointe's interest. He noticed poignant details such as the 9.3-mile diameter of the structure along with unusual curves and so on. Like everyone else, Lapointe was curious to understand what it might be.
He shared the location with researchers and tried to get professional attention to the area. French geophysicist Pierre Rochette was contacted and he and his team went out to explore what might lie in the region, per IFL Science. Lapointe also observed a ring of small mountains surrounding the area. However, further analysis by Rochette and his team revealed something different. In a paper published, the geologists mentioned, “This formation, interpreted as a volcanoclastic diatreme formation named Marsal breccia, in an area devoid of post Grenvillian magmatism [...] is more in agreement with a crater floor clast-poor melt rock, quite similar to the Mistastin and Janisjarvi cases.”
On further study, the geologist came to the understanding that the structure is a result of a possible meteoric impact. Rochette was also able to retrieve a few samples from the site. From these, he found traces of zircon, a resistant mineral that can transform due to such impacts. From studying these samples, it was suggested that the impact and formation of the structure may have occurred between 450 and 38 million years ago. The team is awaiting further analysis of the samples to determine the origin of the structure. However, it is clear that Lapointe has stumbled upon something unique and peculiar, with much yet to be discovered.
"Based on the already available preliminary evidence, Lake Marsal seems to be a serious candidate to become the 11th confirmed impact structure from Quebec. Confirmation of impact origin may be gained from the available sampling or else may wait for a future dedicated expedition,” stated the paper. Diving into historical facts, Gordon Osinski, an Earth sciences professor, said that 31 craters similar to the one found by Lapointe have previously been discovered across several areas in Canada. However, a third of them are said to have been found in sites in Quebec which makes things more interesting.
The professor also mentioned that there are nearly 200 suspected craters that have been spotted but are yet to be verified. He added, “It's quite easy with Google Earth these days to go on and find structures that are circular or semi-circular in origin. You know, nine times out of 10 they're not craters.” The professor, who visited an impact site decades ago, shared that he is eager to collaborate. "It's super exciting. It doesn't happen too often,” he remarked.