North Quebec – Possible Crater Chain of six features

Types: Simple
Location: Northern Quebec, Canada between N 56° 46’ W 72° 38’ and N57° 42’ W 71° 40’
Diameter: Between 3 and 6 Km
Age: ?

A possible crater chain may exist in Northern Quebec, Canada.

Kakiattukallak Lake + crater chain(?), Quebec, Canada. Note the circled lake on the bottom of the oval depicting the possible crater chain. courtesy LandSat

Kakiattukallak Lake crater chain, Quebec, Canada. I documented this circular lake from the north. It is the lake circled on the bottom of the superimposed oval on the LandSat image. Unfortunately the weather did not allow us to explore Kakiattukallak Lake.

Kakiattukallak Lake, Quebec (N 57° 42’ W 71° 40’) – a roughly circular lake averaging 6 km in diameter in low relief Precambrian terrain. During a recent reconnaissance visit several breccia boulders were recovered from the shoreline. The breccias are considered to be shock produced but exhibit a level of deformation slightly below that at which distinctive shock features are formed (Grieve 1975).

This feature is 6 km in diameter, of early Paleozoic age and is situated in the Superior Province. Map GSC 8594G covers the area. There is a negative central anomaly of 300 nT with easterly trending linears on the north side. The lake surrounding the crater is nearly circular with a diameter of 7 km. There is a magnetic contour pattern of concentric rings of gradients of 75 nT/km extending out to the rim. This pattern could be interpreted as the effect of central uplift. Beyond the rim on the north side gradients increase rapidly to 200 nT/km over land. The general physiographic configuration bears an evident resemblance to West Hawk Lake, on a larger scale. Glaciation has deposited sediments over the centre and on the southerly shores as the ice sheets moved southwards. (Clark)

The term “impact crater chain” describes three or more impact features that have formed in a single impact event. I have superimposed an oval in this landsat image to enclose six possible meteorite craters. I have circled an unknown “crater like” lake that I have already explored from the air, at the bottom of the oval. Also visible in the landsat image are several other circular structures. The largest is Kakiattukallak Lake visible at the top right of the oval which is already on the suspected meteorite crater list documented by P.B. Robertson and R.A.F. Greive (see quote below). Note that these circular lakes are almost in a line running north/south. All of these lakes are on my list for further exploration.

This is the unknown circular lake in Northern Quebec that I imaged from GOZooM. It might be a part of a “crater chain” with the northern point being at Kakiattukallak Lake.

I was headed south west from Kuujjuaq toward the Clearwater Lakes meteorite craters, and diverted to explore this feature. I had noticed on the aeronautical chart that it was a circular “crater like” structure worth exploring. At the time I was unaware of the other similar shaped lakes in the area. Except for the noted documentation on Kakiattukallak Lake, I have not found any documentation relating to any impact investigations for these sites.

References

[see – METEORITE]

Clark, J .F. MAGNETIC SURVEY DATA AT METEORITIC IMPACT SITES IN NORTH AMERICA Geomagnetic Service of Canada

Brent Dalrymple, Radiometric Dating Does Work! Reports of the National Center for Science Education

Grieve R.A.F., Robertson,P.B., IMPACT STRUCTURES IN CANADA. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Feb. 1975.