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 05 July 2008 14:49 BST

Scientists find evidence of Britain's biggest meteorite hit

Wednesday, 26 Mar 2008 15:47
Scientists say the largest meteorite to hit Britain landed near Ullapool

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Scientists believe they have found the location of where the largest meteorite to hit Britain struck about 1.2 billion years ago.

They say the meteorite hit a location near what is now the Scottish town of Ullapool.

It had been thought that the unusual rock formations in the area were formed by volcanic activity but there were a number of problems with this theory, including a lack of volcanic vents or other volcanic sediments nearby.

Scientists from the University of Oxford and University of Aberdeen challenge the volcano hypothesis by arguing that they have found evidence of material in the area which was thrown out during the formation of a meteorite crater.

They say this material is scattered over an area about 50km across, with the centre roughly being the location of Ullapool.

Study co-author Ken Amor described the evidence as "the most spectacular" to date to be found in Britain and said it could help scientists to understand the impacts that shaped other planets.

"If there had been human observers in Scotland 1.2 billion years ago they would have seen quite a show," he commented.

"The massive impact would have melted rocks and thrown up an enormous cloud of vapour that scattered material over a large part of the region around Ullapool. The crater was rapidly buried by sandstone which helped to preserve the evidence."

Professor John Parnell added: "These rocks are superbly displayed on the west coast of Scotland, and visited by numerous student parties each year.

"We're very lucky to have them available for study, as they can tell us much about how planetary surfaces, including Mars, become modified by large meteorite strikes.

"Building up the evidence has been painstaking, but has resulted in proof of the largest meteorite strike known in the British Isles."

The study is published in the journal Geology.
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