Source: ET
Subject: Mapping
Context: New research has finally confirmed that the Silverpit crater was formed by a 160-metre-wide asteroid impact approximately 43–46 million years ago.
About The Silverpit Crater:
What It Is?
- The Silverpit crater is a complex geological structure buried deep beneath the seabed. Long a subject of scientific debate, it is now confirmed as an impact crater, one of over 200 known on Earth, providing a rare look at undersea asteroid collisions.
Located In:
- Geography: Situated approximately 80 miles (130 km) off the coast of Yorkshire (specifically Hull) in the United Kingdom.
- Depth: It lies 700 metres below the seabed of the North Sea.
Formation:
- The Event: Formed roughly 43–46 million years ago during the Eocene epoch.
- The Cause: A high-velocity impact of an asteroid approximately 160 metres wide.
- The Aftermath: The explosion created a 1.5-kilometre-high curtain of rock and water. Its collapse generated a 100-metre-high mega-tsunami.
- Scientific Proof: Researchers identified shocked quartz and feldspar—microscopic crystals with structural deformations that only occur under the extreme pressure of an asteroid strike.
Key Features:
- Dimensions: The central crater is about 3 kilometres wide.
- Structural Rings: It is surrounded by a massive system of concentric circular faults (rings) spanning about 20 km in diameter.
- Morphology: It features a classic central peak, a common characteristic of high-energy impact sites where the ground rebounds after being struck.
Significance:
- The findings overturn previous theories that suggested the crater was formed by volcanic activity or the movement of underground salt deposits.
- Studying Silverpit helps scientists model the potential dangers of smaller asteroid impacts and predict the resulting environmental catastrophes, such as mega-tsunamis.
