Scientists find proof an ASTEROID hit Yorkshire 43 million years ago

"'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.'"

"'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.'"

Scientists confirmed that the Silverpit Crater off Yorkshire was formed by an asteroid impact 43 million years ago. A 160-metre-wide asteroid struck the seabed at a low angle from the west, producing a 1.5-kilometre-high curtain of rock and water and triggering a tsunami over 100 metres high. The 1.8-mile-wide crater was discovered in 2002 and had alternative origin theories including deep salt movement or volcanic-related seabed collapse. New seismic imaging and samples from a nearby oil well revealed rare shocked quartz and feldspar at the crater-floor depth. The shocked minerals demonstrate extreme shock pressures consistent only with an impact origin.

Read at Mail Online