Unveiling Uhackatik: A 390-Million-Year-Old Meteorite Crater Rewrites Earth's Ancient History

A Cosmic Scar Uncovered in Quebec's Wilderness

The vast, rugged landscapes of Canada's north continue to yield profound secrets about Earth's tumultuous past. What began as an amateur astronomer's routine planning for a camping trip two years ago has blossomed into a groundbreaking geological discovery: the provisional confirmation of a massive, ancient meteorite impact crater in Quebec. This colossal scar on the Earth's surface, named Uhackatik, offers a rare window into a cosmic event that unfolded nearly 400 million years ago, reshaping our understanding of planetary geology and the persistent dance between Earth and space.

The Accidental Discovery: Lake Marsal's Peculiar Terrain

Joël Lapointe, an amateur astronomer, was meticulously mapping his 2024 vacation route on Google Maps when he stumbled upon an unusually circular terrain feature centered around Lake Marsal in Quebec's Côte-Nord region. His keen eye and understanding of celestial mechanics immediately suggested a possible meteorite impact crater. Lapointe promptly reported his suspicion to Impact Earth, a vital crowdsourcing platform for crater discoveries supported by Canada's Western University. This initial observation set in motion a chain of events that would soon captivate the scientific community.

Scientific Validation: Gordon Osinski's Expedition to Uhackatik

In 2025, Western University planetary geologist Gordon Osinski, affectionately known as "Oz" in the space community, embarked on an expedition to the remote Quebec site. His on-site investigation not only provisionally confirmed Lapointe's theory but also identified Uhackatik as potentially one of the largest impact craters discovered in recent years. Spanning an impressive 25 kilometers (15 miles) in diameter and estimated to be 390 million years old, Uhackatik stands as a testament to Earth's violent cosmic past. Osinski noted that the last discovery of a similar scale was the Hiawatha structure in Greenland (approximately 31 km), found in 2018, though its ice-buried nature and contested origin make Uhackatik's clarity of evidence particularly significant.

Unmistakable Evidence: Shock Metamorphic Effects and Melt Rocks

Unlike many ancient impact sites obscured by geological activity and erosion, Uhackatik presented undeniable proof of its extraterrestrial origin. Oz's team uncovered "shock metamorphic effects"—distinct deformations in rocks caused by the immense shockwaves and intense heat generated during a meteorite impact. Furthermore, they found "impact melt rocks," large volumes of rock that were molten from the impact and subsequently cooled and crystallized. The preservation of these melt rocks was a particular surprise, as they are often among the first features to erode. Microscopic analysis of these samples will further cement the crater's extraterrestrial genesis, looking for tell-tale signs like high-temperature melt chemistry and deformation in quartz.

Adding to the compelling evidence, the team readily observed "shatter cones" in the field. These distinctive, branching features within rock layers are unequivocally produced by the shockwaves of an impact. The research, while not yet peer-reviewed, is slated for presentation at the 88th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society in Frankfurt, Germany, in August, promising to share these exciting findings with the global scientific community.

A Link to Lunar Exploration: Insights for Artemis Missions

The study of Earth's ancient craters, like Uhackatik, provides invaluable data for understanding impact processes on other rocky extraterrestrial bodies, including the Moon and Mars. Osinski draws a compelling parallel between Uhackatik and the Moon's prominent Tycho crater, suggesting Uhackatik likely mirrored Tycho's appearance 390 million years ago. More contemporary, Uhackatik shares significant similarities with the Kamestastin (Mistastin) crater in northern Labrador, another Canadian impact site frequently used by NASA for astronaut training.

Kamestastin, which lies within the traditional hunting grounds of the Mushuau Innu First Nation, contains anorthosite, a mineral commonly found at the Moon's south pole—a target region for NASA's Artemis program. In 2023, Artemis II astronauts, including Canada's Jeremy Hansen and NASA's Christina Koch, along with CSA backup astronaut Jenni Gibbons, undertook an expedition to Kamestastin with Oz. The similar size and excellent preservation of Kamestastin made it an ideal "template" for exploring the newly discovered Uhackatik.

As research into Uhackatik continues, Oz's work with NASA's lunar endeavors also progresses. He is set to be a key member of the geology teams supporting astronauts during the Artemis 4 and 5 missions, slated for as early as 2028. The discovery of Uhackatik not only enriches our planet's geological record but also provides crucial comparative insights that will aid humanity's ongoing quest to explore and understand our cosmic neighborhood.