A Quebec tourist planning his vacation, Joël Lapointe, potentially discovered a new impact crater on the Côte-Nord while browsing Google Maps.
While planning a camping trip, his attention was drawn to an unusual topographic formation around Lake Marsal, resembling the craters left by asteroid impacts.
This lake is located 100 km north of the village of Magpie in Minganie. Intrigued by his discovery, the man contacted experts to obtain more information.
A French research team, led by geophysicist Pierre Rochette, responded to his call and began studying the site. Preliminary analyses of rocks in the area appear to confirm the hypothesis of a previously unknown impact crater.
The group of French scientists interviewed by Radio-Canada on the science show Light years confirmed the preparation of a scientific mission on the ground to study this geological formation in more detail.
The potential crater would be 15 km in diameter and contain Lake Marsal in its center. If confirmed, this crater would have been formed by an asteroid 2 km in diameter, a major discovery.
The scientific expedition to the site is planned for 2025.