Description: The Silverpit crater in the North Sea was discovered in 2002 during a seismic oil exploration .
The crater is about 2.4 km wide and surrounded by a set of concentric rings, which extend to about 10 km away from its centre.
Its age is thought to be about 65 million years old, roughly coincident with the formation of the Chicxulub Crater.
The crater currently lies below a layer of sediment up to 1,500 m in depth, which forms the bed of the North Sea at a depth of about 40 m. Studies suggest that at the time of the crater's formation, the area was under 50 to 300 m of water.
However, alternative origins have subsequently been proposed.
If confirmed, it would be the UK's first known impact crater. |
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