A massive asteroid slammed into the North Sea and unleashed a 330-foot tsunami

A massive asteroid slammed into the North Sea roughly 43 to 46 million years ago, triggering a tsunami more than 100 meters (330 feet) high. Now, after more than two decades of scientific disagreement, researchers have uncovered compelling evidence confirming the ancient collision.

The impact created what is now known as the Silverpit Crater, a massive structure buried deep beneath the seafloor. Although scientists first discovered it in 2002, its origins remained fiercely debated, with some researchers arguing that geological processes, rather than an object from space, were responsible.

A research team led by Dr. Uisdean Nicholson of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh has now provided the strongest evidence yet that Silverpit was formed by an asteroid or comet. By combining advanced seismic imaging, microscopic examination of rock samples, and computer simulations, the scientists have reconstructed the violent event and identified minerals that could only have formed under extraordinary pressure.