In Nunavik Province, far northern Canada, the Pingualuit Crater is known as the "Crystal Eye" to the Inuit. Once thought to be a possible diamond-bearing kimberlite pipe, the 3.5 km diameter circular structure is now known to be a meteor crater, formed about 1.4 million years ago

PINGUALUIT CRATER

– Location: Pingualuit National Park, Quebec, Canada

– Diameter: 2.1 miles (3.4 km)

– Depth: 876 feet (267 meters)

– Age: 1.4 million years

The Pingualuit National Park(opens in new tab) is situated in the heart of the Ungava plateau and is home to the impressive Pingualuit crater.

Under the arctic sky, the crater is filled with pristine rainwater, cut off from inflows from other lakes. This unique environment — 876 feet (267 meters) deep — provides scientists with a window into the geological past. According to NASA Earth Observatory, sediments of Pinguluit lake were untouched(opens in new tab) during the Pleistocene Ice Age(opens in new tab) — a time period that began about 2.6 million years ago and lasted until about 11,700 years ago. While other sediments in surrounding water bodies do not extend further back than the last ice age, those found in the Pinguluit crater have preserved a much longer record.

The crater was first observed from the air in 1943 when the crew of a United States Air Force plane flew over the impact site, according to NASA Earth Observatory. Expeditions did not commence until the 1950s due to the remoteness of the crater. However, there is evidence that that crater site has long been known to the local Nunamiuts — nomadic Inuit who lived on resources of the interior of the Ungava lands according to the national park website Nunavik Parks(opens in new tab).

There are traces of rock shelters and stones arranged in a circular arrangement — evidence of where old tents would have been erected according to Nunavik Parks. The traces suggest the Nunamiuts once set up camps on the ridges of the Pingualuit crater whilst scouting for promising hunting grounds.

According to Canadian outdoor media brand explore(opens in new tab), in the Inuit language Inuktitut, the Pingualuit region is known as nunavingmi pikkuminartuq which means “a remarkable location where a person may come to be revitalized”.

Once only accessible to the Nunamiuts and the hardiest of explorers, nowadays anyone with a sense of adventure can enjoy a trip to Pingualuit crater. Depending on the time of year of your visit you can enjoy a range of activities in the Pingualuit National Park, including hiking in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter and there is a range of tours(opens in new tab) available via the Nunavik Parks site.