The mysterious material that appeared after a lightning strike and shocks science: "We have never seen anything like this".

[msfntor]

The mysterious material that appeared after a lightning strike and shocks science: "We have never seen anything like this".

It is a mineral that had only been detected in meteorites and in space, but never on Earth. It appeared in Florida, United States.
The mysterious material that appeared after the lightning strike and disturbs science. Photo: Communications Earth & Environment
 

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18/04/2023 10:44
on Clarín.com
International
Updated at 18/04/2023 15:22

"We never saw this material naturally on Earth." Thus, extremely puzzled, geoscientist Matthew Pasek, from the University of South Florida, tries to describe a strange object he is analyzing.

And the strangest thing is how it was formed, since it was found for the first time in solid form on our planet on a rock that was near a tree that was struck by lightning.

What is the strange material that appeared after a lightning strike.
"We have never seen this material naturally on Earth. You can find similar minerals in meteorites and in space, but we've never seen exactly this material anywhere. It's unheard of," the expert commented in a University publication.

 Scientists discovered a characteristic mineral from space never seen before on Earth. Photo: Communications Earth & Environment
Scientists discovered a mineral characteristic of space never seen before on Earth. Photo: Communications Earth & Environment
This fulgurite - a tube-like metamorphic rock formed after atmospheric lightning strikes - contains phosphorus.

 Moreover, according to a study published in Communications Earth & Environment, it can be classified as transitional between space minerals and those found on our planet.

In the research, Pasek examines how high-energy events, such as lightning, can cause unique chemical reactions and, in this case, result in a new material.

"High-energy events, such as a lightning strike, are capable of triggering unique chemical reactions. For example, when lightning strikes a tree, electrical discharges pass through the surrounding rocks, soil and sand. As a result, fulgurites or fossilized lightning, pieces of sintered siliceous rocks, are formed, the scientist clarified in the study.

How was this rare object discovered?
The element was found in New Port Richey, Florida, USA. It was the neighbors themselves who discovered the fulgurite near a tree that had been struck by lightning and sold it.

It was then that Pasek bought it and began a collaboration with Luca Bindi, professor of mineralogy and crystallography at the University of Florence, Italy.

 

The fulgurite was found near a tree that was struck by lightning. Photo: Communications Earth & Environment

Analysis revealed that the fulgurite contained "colorful crystalline matter," something the researchers had never seen before. 

"When lightning strikes a tree, the ground usually explodes and the surrounding grass dies, forming a scar and sending an electrical discharge through the nearby rock, soil and sand, forming fulgurites, also known as 'fossilized lightning,'" Pasek explained.

According to the experts, according to RT, it is likely that this material forms only under certain conditions and that, after prolonged heating, it becomes a common mineral in meteorites.

The team began investigating unusual minerals containing the element phosphorus, especially those formed by lightning, to better understand high-energy phenomena.

In this sense, Pasek emphasized that: "It is important to understand how much energy lightning has because then we will be able to know how much damage it can cause", the expert remarked.

And he added: "Florida is the lightning capital of the world and safety is important: if lightning is strong enough to melt rocks, it can certainly melt people as well".

In humid environments, as in Florida, the scientist assures that iron accumulates and becomes embedded in tree roots.

In this particular case, the lightning not only burned the iron in the tree's roots, but also burned the carbon found in the tree. The two elements gave rise to a chemical reaction that created a special fulgurite. And inside it was colorful, crystalline matter never seen before.

Currently, the research team continues to analyze the substance to determine if it can be officially declared a mineral.

Here: El misterioso material que apareció tras la caída de un rayo y turba a la ciencia: "Nunca se vio algo así": https://www.clarin.com/internacional/misterioso-material-aparecio-caida-rayo-turba-ciencia-vio-_0_hKyG5lOi5V.html

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by Tripredacus
added quote

[msfntor]

It is true that I have never found such a thing in my life... but I look for interesting things every day and now I want to pay special attention to similar things, further in the woods... further in the woods...

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