Yo, there’s a secret crater under the North Sea from a 45 million year old asteroid hit!
The Mysterious Silverpit Crater
For years, geologists were puzzled by the “Silverpit crater” located at the bottom of the North Sea, off the British coast. Its circular shape and concentric rings sparked curiosity but no concrete answers. A recent study led by Scottish geologist Uisdean Nicholson from Heriot-Watt University sheds light on this geological mystery and reveals a fascinating discovery.
A Catastrophic Impact
The Silverpit crater, 3 kilometers in diameter and 700 meters deep, was identified in 2002 during a seismic survey for hydrocarbons. Evidence of complex impact craters, shock quartz deformation, and simulations of an asteroid impact provide insights into a catastrophic event that occurred about 45 million years ago during the Eocene period. The impact of an asteroid led to the formation of the crater and a colossal tsunami, leaving its mark on the Earth’s geological history.
