New seismic imaging and rock samples have resolved the Silverpit Crater debate, showing a 160-meter asteroid struck the North Sea seabed 43-46 million years ago.
Shocked quartz and Feldspar crystals found at the crater-floor depth provided decisive evidence, ruling out earlier theories that salt movement or volcanic collapse formed the structure.
The impact, about 80 miles off Yorkshire, blasted out a 3-kilometer crater 700 meters below the seafloor and triggered a tsunami more than 100 meters high.
Researchers said the asteroid hit at a low angle from the west, throwing up a 1.5-kilometer curtain of rock and water and permanently reshaping the surrounding seabed.
This crater hid for 45 million years underwater. How many other catastrophic impact sites remain undiscovered beneath our oceans?
The impact may have triggered secondary eruptions. Do marine asteroid strikes pose a greater climate threat than we realized?
A city-killer asteroid triggered a 100m tsunami in the North Sea. Could we stop the next one before it hits?
Decades-Long Mystery Solved: Silverpit Crater Proven as 160-Meter Asteroid Impact with 100-Meter Tsunami
Overview
In 2026, scientists definitively confirmed that the Silverpit Crater is the result of an ancient asteroid impact, ending decades of debate and marking a major milestone in planetary science. This breakthrough was achieved by a research team led by Dr. Uisdean Nicholson, supported by the Natural Environment Research Council. They used a sophisticated, multi-faceted approach, combining advanced seismic imaging and microscopic analysis of rock samples to obtain irrefutable evidence of the crater’s extraterrestrial origin. This discovery provides crucial insights into Earth’s history of cosmic collisions and sets a new standard for studying similar impact sites worldwide.