Why in News?
New research in March 2026 led by Dr. Uisdean Nicholson (Heriot-Watt University) has definitively proven that the crater was formed by a massive asteroid impact, not by underground salt movement or volcanic activity as previously contested.
About
- "Silver Bullet" Evidence: For the first time, researchers identified "shocked" quartz and feldspar crystals in rock samples, indicating extreme shock pressures of a high-velocity space impact.
- End of a Decades-Long Debate: The discovery overturns a 2009 vote by the Geological Society of London, which previously favoured a non-impact (salt withdrawal) explanation.
- Tsunami Discovery: Computer modelling now confirms that the impact triggered a mega-tsunami over 100 metres (330 feet) high.
Key Features
- Location: Situated approximately 80 miles (130 km) off the coast of Yorkshire, UK, buried 700 metres beneath the southern North Sea seabed.
- Discovery: Identified in 2002 during routine seismic surveys for oil and gas exploration.
- Formation Timeline: Formed roughly 43 to 46 million years ago during the Eocene epoch.
- The Impactor: Caused by an asteroid (or comet) approximately 160 metres wide.
Physical Dimensions
- Central Crater: Roughly 3 km wide with a distinct central peak.
- Concentric Rings: Surrounded by a system of circular faults spanning 20 km in diameter.
Scientific Significance
- One of only 33 known submarine impact craters globally.
- Carbonate Explosion: The impact "baked" the chalk beneath the seabed, releasing carbon dioxide.
- Rare Preservation: The burial under sediment has kept it in an exceptionally well-preserved state.
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