Scientists have finally solved a decades-long mystery about a strange crater deep under the North Sea.
The Silverpit Crater, first discovered in 2002, has now been confirmed as the result of a massive asteroid or comet impact that happened around 43 to 46 million years ago.
The crater lies 700 meters below the seabed, about 80 miles off the coast of Yorkshire, and is about 3 kilometers wide.
Surrounding it is a ring of circular faults stretching 20 kilometers across.
When geologists first spotted it, many thought it looked like a classic impact crater—similar to ones seen on the Moon or Mars, with a central peak and perfectly round shape.
But others argued it could have formed in other ways, such as by salt shifting deep underground or by volcanic activity.
In fact, the debate became so heated that in 2009 geologists even held a vote on the crater’s origins, with most deciding against the asteroid theory.
Now, thanks to new technology and lucky discoveries, the impact theory has been proven correct.
A team led by Dr. Uisdean Nicholson from Heriot-Watt University used new seismic imaging data, microscopic analysis of rocks, and advanced computer models to show beyond doubt that the crater was created by a cosmic collision.
Samples taken from an oil well near the crater contained tiny fragments of quartz and feldspar crystals that were “shocked.”
These crystals show a unique pattern that only forms under the extreme pressures of an asteroid impact—something no other natural process on Earth can produce.
The evidence suggests that about 43 million years ago, a space rock about 160 meters wide slammed into the seabed at a low angle from the west.
Within minutes, the collision threw up a massive curtain of rock and water nearly 1.5 kilometers high. When it collapsed, it triggered a tsunami more than 100 meters tall.
Professor Gareth Collins from Imperial College London, who once doubted the impact explanation, said he always thought the asteroid theory made the most sense. “It is very rewarding to have finally found the silver bullet,” he said.
Impact craters like Silverpit are rare on Earth because erosion and plate tectonics usually erase the evidence.
Around 200 confirmed impact craters exist on land, but only about 33 have been discovered beneath the ocean. This makes Silverpit an important and exceptionally preserved example.
Dr. Nicholson says the discovery will help scientists understand how asteroid impacts have shaped Earth’s history—and what might happen if one were to hit again in the future.
The crater now joins the ranks of famous sites like Mexico’s Chicxulub Crater, linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Source: KSR.
