Asteroid Impact in North Sea Solves 20-Year Mystery of Silverpit Crater Scientists have finally confirmed that the Silverpit Crater beneath the North Sea was formed by an asteroid impact approximately 43 to 46 million years ago. This conclusion, based on new seismic data and geological analysis, resolves a long-standing debate about the crater’s origin. Researchers identified shocked minerals in the crater’s structure, which are only formed under the extreme pressures of high-speed cosmic collisions. These findings provide the strongest evidence yet that the crater resulted from an asteroid strike, rather than geological processes like salt tectonics or volcanic activity. The Silverpit Crater, located about 700 meters below the seabed in the southern North Sea, is roughly three kilometers wide and surrounded by a ring of circular faults spanning nearly 20 kilometers. First discovered in 2002, its unusual shape sparked decades of scientific discussion. While some early studies suggested an asteroid impact, others proposed alternative explanations. A 2009 vote among geologists largely rejected the impact theory, but recent research has overturned that consensus. The new study, which analyzed seismic imaging and rock samples, revealed the presence of shocked quartz and feldspar crystals at the crater’s base. These minerals, which form only under the intense pressures of asteroid impacts, cannot be produced by natural geological processes. Dr. Uisdean Nicholson, a lead researcher, explained that such structures are definitive proof of a high-velocity space object striking the seabed. The impact would have generated a massive explosion, sending a towering wave of rock and water into the ocean. This collapse likely triggered a tsunami over 100 meters high, spreading across the region.#natural_environment_research_council #silverpit_crater #dr_uisdean_nicholson #north_sea #shocked_quartz
A massive asteroid hit the North Sea and triggered a 330-foot tsunami A long-standing scientific debate about the Silverpit Crater beneath the North Sea has been resolved, confirming it was formed by an asteroid impact that generated a towering tsunami millions of years ago. Researchers from Heriot-Watt University, led by Dr. Uisdean Nicholson, used seismic imaging and analysis of rock samples to prove the crater resulted from a 160-meter asteroid striking the seabed approximately 43 to 46 million years ago. The impact created a tsunami over 100 meters high, reshaping the region’s geology and leaving behind a rare, well-preserved impact site. The Silverpit Crater, located about 700 meters below the North Sea seabed near Yorkshire, has been a subject of intense discussion since its discovery in 2002. Early theories suggested it could have formed from underground salt movement or volcanic activity, but new evidence has overturned these ideas. The team’s findings, published in Nature Communications, reveal that the crater’s circular shape, central peak, and concentric faults align with characteristics of known impact craters. Key proof came from rare "shocked" minerals found in rock samples, which only form under the extreme pressures of asteroid collisions. Dr. Nicholson explained that seismic imaging provided an unprecedented view of the crater’s structure, while samples from an oil well confirmed the presence of these minerals at the same depth as the crater floor. The discovery of these minerals, described as a "needle-in-a-haystack" effort, solidified the impact hypothesis. The asteroid, which struck at a shallow angle from the west, created a 1.5-kilometer-high curtain of rock and water that collapsed into the sea, generating the massive tsunami.#silverpit_crater #heriot_watt_university #dr_uisdean_nicholson #nature_communications #natural_environment_research_council
