Britain’s secret rocky past: Scientists find proof a huge asteroid smashed into the Yorkshire coast 43 million years ago

From its breathtaking moors to its world–famous puddings, Yorkshire already boasts a number of claims to fame. 

Now, the county has a new accolade to add to its list. 

Scientists have found proof that a huge asteroid smashed into the sea off the coast of Yorkshire 43 million years ago. 

The Silverpit Crater – around 80 miles off the coast of Yorkshire – was first discovered in 2002. 

Its origin remained a mystery, with scientists unable to agree on whether it was created by an asteroid impact, or volcanic activity. 

Now, the debate has been settled once and for all, as researchers from Heriot–Watt University have confirmed the impact crater hypothesis. 

‘Our evidence shows that a 160–metre–wide asteroid hit the seabed at a low angle from the west,’ xplained Dr Uisedan Nicholson, lead author of the study. 

‘Within minutes, it created a 1.5–kilometre high curtain of rock and water that then collapsed into the sea, creating a tsunami over 100 metres high.’

Scientists have found proof that a huge asteroid smashed into the sea off the coast of Yorkshire 43 million years ago (AI–generated image) 

The Silverpit Crater – around 80 miles off the coast of Yorkshire – was first discovered in 2002. However, its origin remained a mystery, with scientists unable to agree on whether it was created by an asteroid impact, or volcanic activity

Since its discovery more than two decades ago, the Silverpit Crater has been at the centre of a heated debate among geologists. 

Initial studies suggested the 1.8–mile–wide crater was the result of an asteroid or comet impact. 

However, some scientists were unconvinced, and instead suggested it may have been created by salt moving deep below the crater floor, or the collapse of the seabed because of volcanic activity.

To get to the bottom of it, the Heriot–Watt team used seismic imaging data alongside evidence from below the seabed. 

‘New seismic imaging has given us an unprecedented look at the crater,’ Dr Nicholson explained. 

‘Samples from an oil well in the area also revealed rare “shocked” quartz and feldspar crystals at the same depth as the crater floor.

‘We were exceptionally lucky to find these – a real “needle–in–a–haystack” effort.

‘These prove the impact crater hypothesis beyond doubt, because they have a fabric that can only be created by extreme shock pressures.’

Samples from an oil well in the area revealed rare ‘shocked’ quartz and feldspar crystals at the same depth as the crater floor

The confirmation of its status as an impact crater puts Silverpit in the same category as Mexico’s Chicxulub Crater – the site where the dinosaur–killing asteroid famously struck 66 million years ago. 

‘Silverpit is a rare and exceptionally preserved hypervelocity impact crater,’ Dr Nicholson added. 

‘These are rare because the Earth is such a dynamic planet – plate tectonics and erosion destroy almost all traces of most of these events.

‘Around 200 confirmed impact craters exist on land, and only about 33 have been identified beneath the ocean.

‘We can use these findings to understand how asteroid impacts shaped our planet throughout history, as well as predict what could happen should we have an asteroid collision in future.’