3 hours ago
Last Updated:March 13, 2026, 16:43 IST
This ends the 20-year debate on whether the North Sea's Silverpit crater was formed by a 43-million-year-old asteroid impact or by geological salt movement
The impact triggered a mega-tsunami exceeding 100 metres in height. (AI generated for representation)
An asteroid roughly 160 metres or 525 feet wide struck the North Sea 43 to 46 million years ago, creating the 20-kilometre-wide Silverpit crater, according to Science Daily.
The impact triggered a mega-tsunami exceeding 100 metres in height, following the discovery of “shocked" quartz and feldspar that confirmed the origin of the crater.
What was the 20-year debate?
For two decades, experts debated whether the North Sea’s Silverpit crater was formed by a 43-million-year-old asteroid impact or, as voted in 2009, by geological salt movement.
The debate concluded in 2025 following the discovery of shock-deformed minerals and 3D imaging confirming an impact event, invalidating the salt-withdrawal theory.
How big was the asteroid?
According to recent reports in Science Daily and research published in Nature Communications, the asteroid that struck the North Sea was approximately 160 metres (525 feet) wide or as big as a football field.
The key findings
“Silver Bullet" Evidence: Researchers identified “shocked" quartz and feldspar crystals in rock samples from a nearby oil well. These microscopic minerals contain deformation patterns that only form under the extreme shock pressures of a high-velocity space impact.
Massive Tsunami: The asteroid struck the seabed at a shallow angle from the west, instantly blasting a 1.5-kilometre-high curtain of rock and water into the air. As this wall of debris collapsed, it triggered a mega-tsunami exceeding 100 metres (330 feet) in height.
Crater Structure: The central crater is approximately 3 kilometres wide, but it is surrounded by a massive 20-kilometre-wide zone of concentric circular faults. It features a central peak formed when the ground rebounded immediately after the strike.
Carbonate Explosion: Scientists believe the impact “baked" the chalk beneath the seabed, instantaneously releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide and creating large-scale pits in the central uplift.
With agency inputs
First Published:
March 13, 2026, 16:43 IST
News explainers Asteroid That Struck North Sea & Led To 330-Ft Tsunami In Europe Was As Big As A Football Field
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