Asteroid Impact Confirmed Under the North Sea
Seismic imaging and shocked quartz samples verify that an asteroid struck near East Yorkshire 43 million years ago, creating the Silverpit Crater.
Asteroid Strike Identified Beneath the North Sea
Using advanced seismic imaging and rock analysis, researchers have shown that a 160m-wide asteroid struck the North Sea floor over 43 million years ago, forming the 3km-wide Silverpit Crater. The impact likely generated a tsunami with waves up to 100m high.
Located about 128km off East Yorkshire, the Silverpit Crater was discovered in 2002, but debates lingered on whether it was caused by underwater collapse or salt diapirism. The new study, led by Dr Uisdean Nicholson from Heriot-Watt University and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, recovered shocked quartz samples—microscopic grains altered only by extreme pressure—confirming the impact origin beyond doubt.
With around 200 known impact craters on land and just 33 identified under the ocean, such discoveries are rare. The Silverpit Crater joins the ranks of sites like Mexico’s Chicxulub Crater, linked to the dinosaur extinction 66 million years ago. Researchers hope these findings will improve our understanding of how asteroid impacts have shaped Earth’s geology and help model potential future collisions.
This rare discovery confirms a major asteroid impact under the North Sea, revealing its scale and geological significance.
This topic was reported by BBC.
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