Discovered in 2002, 80 miles off the coast of Hull and Scarborough, the Silverpit crater has sparked debate within the scientific community. Numerous theories for its creation have been conducted such as seabed collapse due to volcanic movement. Another prominent theory was salt movement deep below the surface in the North Sea.
The discovery of “shocked” quartz coupled with seismic imagery makes the strongest case yet that scientists’ theories of asteroid impact are correct.
A new study has put all these queries to rest. The discovery of “shocked” quartz coupled with seismic imagery makes the strongest case yet that scientists’ theories of asteroid impact are correct. As this type of quartz can only be created by extreme shock, evidence now indicates that the North Sea was hit by a asteroid around 43 – 46 million years ago, forming the crater.
There are only around 200 craters on land that are confirmed to be formed by asteroid impact.
The impact of this collision would have been monumental. Dr Uisdean Nicholeson, (an associate professor at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh) says a 328ft high tsunami would’ve been created by the 160 meter asteroid hitting the water. He also highlights how finding this evidence was “a needle-in-a-haystack effort” due to the limited data scientists have on asteroid impact sites. There are only around 200 craters on land that are confirmed to be formed by asteroid impact. Furthermore, when you go beneath the ocean the number of sites proven to be caused by asteroid impact drops to 33.
Given the scarcity of these craters, the confirmation of Silverpit crater as an asteroid impact sight gives scientists more data for breakthroughs. This discovery helps explain Earth’s history with asteroids and how space has affected life and land as we know it. It could also help scientists predict what could happen if an asteroid ever collides with Earth.