{"id":171748,"date":"2025-09-21T12:08:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T12:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/171748\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T12:08:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T12:08:09","slug":"deep-sea-silverpit-crater-under-north-sea-created-by-asteroid-strike-say-scientists-viral-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/171748\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep-Sea Silverpit Crater Under North Sea Created By Asteroid Strike, Say Scientists | Viral News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Updated:September 20, 2025, 22:47 IST<\/p>\n

Silverpit crater, 80 miles off Yorkshire, was formed 43 million years ago by an asteroid impact, says Scientists, ending decades of debate over its origin beneath the North Sea.\"font\"\"Illustration<\/p>\n

Illustration of a large asteroid colliding with Earth. (AI Generated Image)<\/p>\n

Buried deep beneath the seabed, about 80 miles off Yorkshire\u2019s coast, lies an extraordinary crater that has split scientific opinion. Was it dramatically formed by an asteroid impact, or more simply caused by shifting geological salt deposits?<\/p>\n

Today, scientists believe they have finally resolved the decades-old debate: the Silverpit crater, lying 700 metres beneath the North Sea seabed, was most likely formed over 43 million years ago by an asteroid or comet roughly the size of York Minster striking the Earth.<\/p>\n

The 160-metre-wide asteroid smashed into the sea, causing a 100-metre-high tsunami, say scientists. It was probably a very bad day for any early mammals in the area, but not as bad as the consequences of the asteroid smash that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.<\/p>\n

Experts note that while the Silverpit crater is far smaller than Mexico\u2019s Chicxulub crater, formed when a 6- to 9-mile-wide asteroid struck Earth and wiped out about 75% of plant and animal life, it remains fascinating and highly significant as the only known impact crater near the present-day UK.<\/p>\n

A sedimentologist from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Uisdean Nicholson, who led the research team, said new seismic imaging had given them an unprecedented look at the crater.<\/p>\n

Getting the proof was \u201cdefinitely an exciting moment”, he said, describing the investigation as \u201ca needle in the haystack approach”.<\/p>\n

Petroleum geoscientists discovered the crater in 2002, a two-mile-wide depression encircled by a 12-mile-wide ring of circular faults.<\/p>\n

Those who found it believed it was indeed a hypervelocity impact crater, pointing to characteristics often associated with them, including a central peak, circular shape and concentric faults.<\/p>\n

Initially, it was estimated to be more than 60 million years old, and it made headlines. \u201cCrater could be asteroid strike,” read a Guardian report from the time.<\/p>\n

However, some scientists were not convinced, arguing that it had a far less interesting origin story and it was most likely caused by the movement of salt rocks at depth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m spoiling the party,” the Guardian quoted the geologist Prof John Underhill, from the University of Edinburgh, who led the doubters at the time, as saying. \u201cIt\u2019s a less glamorous explanation, but that\u2019s what the scientific data is saying.”<\/p>\n

In 2009, there was a debate at the Geological Society that Nicholson remembers. \u201cI was a PhD student at the time, and it was quite a well-known debate, within geological circles at least.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had the big debate, and then they had a vote. It was overwhelmingly decided that it was a non-impact origin. Most people favoured the mundane explanation and I think that reflects a tendency to reject the more spectacular explanation.”<\/p>\n

The vote ended 80-20 against the impact hypothesis, prompting questions about whether geologists tend to be naturally conservative. \u201cThere are different types of geologists,” Nicholson remarked. \u201cSome say I get overly excited about certain ideas.”<\/p>\n

Nicholson was asked to look at Silverpit because of his experience discovering another impact crater in West Africa.<\/p>\n

Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, Nicholson\u2019s team employed seismic imaging, microscopic examination of rock cuttings, and numerical modelling to present what they claim is the strongest evidence to date that Silverpit is an impact crater on Earth.<\/p>\n

Asteroid impacts are thankfully rare, with none recorded in human history. The craters they leave behind are also uncommon, as \u201cplate tectonics and erosion erase nearly all evidence of most of these events,” Nicholson explained. \u201cThere are about 200 confirmed impact craters on land and only 33 identified beneath the ocean.”<\/p>\n

Silverpit is exceptionally preserved and important, he said. \u201cWe can use these findings to understand how asteroid impacts shaped our planet throughout history, as well as predict what could happen should we have an asteroid collision in future.”<\/p>\n

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Location :<\/p>\n

United Kingdom (UK)<\/p>\n

First Published:<\/p>\n

September 20, 2025, 22:47 IST<\/p>\n

News<\/a> viral<\/a> Deep-Sea Silverpit Crater Under North Sea Created By Asteroid Strike, Say ScientistsDisclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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