Silverpit Crater Confirmed as Asteroid Impact Site

Recently, scientists confirmed Silverpit Crater was formed by an asteroid impact.

• The crater lies beneath the North Sea near the United Kingdom.
• The impact occurred around 43–46 million years ago.
• The structure is located about 700 metres below the seabed.
• It measures nearly three kilometres wide.
• The crater was first identified by geologists in 2002.
• Its origin was debated for over two decades.
• Earlier theories included volcanic activity and salt tectonics.
• Scientists found shocked quartz and feldspar crystals.
• These minerals form only during high-pressure asteroid impacts.
• The asteroid was estimated to be about 160 metres wide.
• The impact likely generated a massive tsunami over 100 metres high.
• Silverpit is a rare, ....