Pingualuit Crater: Mysterious Arctic Lake

The Perfect Circle of Pingualuit Crater

In a remote stretch of the Arctic tundra, there's a circle so pure and perfect, it's almost unbelievable. Canada's Pingualuit Crater measures roughly 3 kilometers across, formed over a million years ago when a meteorite slammed into the Earth. The crater is home to a jaw-dropping body of fresh water, isolated and pristine, so clear that you can see almost 35 meters down. No rivers feed it. It exists as a closed system. Kept alive only by the rain and snow. Pingualuit lake water "holds some of the purest, clearest fresh water ever found". Inuit locals call the phenomenon the Crystal Eye. Even more strangely, fish live there, cut off from any other body of water. Their survivorship and arrival are shrouded in mystery. Mystery flows around the eye. This body of water shouldn't exist. Its fish should not exist. And yet, it's all there, waiting beneath the Arctic sky.

Freshwater Mysteries

Pingualuit is a reminder that our planet is a web of mysteries. Despite our long history of exploration, parts of the Earth remain misunderstood. Despite what we've learned, scientists are still investigating how life reaches such isolated places and survives. One frame of the lake shows its waters from above. This image is a clue. Water that is so pure and of such clarity should not harbor the fish that are evidently seen swimming in it. The horizons above should not be there. Some of the few fish living inside the lake in the isolated body of water, researchers cannot fully explain. The Inuit culture makes an analogy: "a lonely blue eye staring up from the top of the world."

The Baffling Blue Spot

Crater Physics

Even though the crater was created by a meteorite over a million years ago, it doesn't look like a crater. It looks like an eyeball. There's no river flowing in or out. There isn't any. The lake is fed by rain and snow all year. The water itself is crystal clear. You can see down to almost 35 meters. And there, scientists say, life exists in a place it shouldn't. It is a place that shouldn't harbor life.

Fish Aquatic

In the Arctic tundra, 3 kilometers nearly wide, an isolated body of water that should not hold a single living thing now exists. And so the question really is: how and why? The waters host fish. The fish live in the lake. They are surrounded by ice. They have almost nothing to eat. Scientists are still trying to figure out how they got there, and how they survive in water that has almost nothing to eat. The fish somehow live in the water.

Existence amidst the Desolate

The lake is an extreme environment. But even this isolated environment is home to a few living things, and that's precisely why it's so fascinating. The water can be as cold as 3 degrees Celsius. Rivers do not flow in or out. The Inuit people have a name for it: the Crystal Eye, a lonely blue eye staring up from the top of the world. There's wildlife there, and it shouldn't be there. The lake hosts some of the purest, clearest fresh water ever found. In its depths — almost 35 meters down — some life exists. Scientists are still trying to figure out how they got there, and how they survive in water that has almost nothing to eat. The fish somehow get around the frozen tundra with almost nothing to eat.

The Origin of Life

The origin of the fish in Pingualuit Crater is a mystery. The fish are not alone in the water. The fish eats things and then they survive. Researchers do not know where the things to eat in this water come from. The existence of fish in a body of water that should not harbor life is extraordinary.

Venturing to the Crystal Eye

Experience this surreal place for yourself — but be ready for a true adventure. It will take brave spirits to really experience the Crystal Eye. It isn't a place you can just drop by. It's far away and located in Canada's Arctic. Take this as a warning: "life that shouldn't be there". It won't be easy.

• Book a Tour: Pingualuit Crater is inside a national park. You can't just go there on your own and explore it. You'll need to book a tour. The hard part is that Pingualuit National Park is remote, and tours are not easy to book. They are available from Quebec, but will take more than a day to be arranged.
• Be Ready for a Wild Expanse. The terrain is rocky, the temperatures are freezing and the water is very deep. It isn't a place you can just walk into and explore. You'll need to be fit and be ready for some pretty rugged terrain.
• Bring the Right Gear: The temperatures can dip to as low as -30°C. The terrain is rocky and the water is very deep. The best way to see it is from the air. A local tour operator will be able to arrange that for you. The real wonder of the place is seeing it from the air.
• Be Patient: There's no real way to have a Joe-Schmoe experience here. You'll need to work with a tour operator, and it's unlikely you'll be able to get the kind of immediate feedback you get from a guide in other places. This is a serious place for serious travelers. The Crystal Eye may be a perfect circle, but it's far from easy to access. Canadian Arctic is a remote, rugged landscape. Be prepared for a long journey, and understand that you may not be able to get up close to the lake.

Arctic Realities

Clarity is a key factor but not the only one. Researchers involved are primarily there as geologists. They know that there's some mystery to be uncovered. There are a lot of mysteries that the eyes are waiting for you to see. And those mysteries will never be completely solved.