Huge crater under North Sea was created by asteroid impact, scientists say

Illustration of a large asteroid colliding with Earth. The Silverpit crater is about 2 miles wide with a further 12-mile damage zone. Photograph: Science Photo Library/Alamy

Deep below the seabed, 80 miles off the coast of Yorkshire, is a remarkable crater that has divided scientists – was it, thrillingly, created by an asteroid crash? Or more mundanely was it the result of geological salt movements?

Today, the decades-long scientific debate can be settled. The Silverpit crater 700 metres below the seabed under the North Sea was in all likelihood created by a direct hit from an asteroid or comet about the size of York Minster that hurtled towards the Earth more than 43m years ago.