Egyptian decoration with a piece of meteorite: how dangerous are explosions in the earth's atmosphere

Egyptian decoration with a piece of meteorite: how dangerous are explosions in the earth's atmosphere

An artifact was found in the tomb of King Tuta, in the center of which lies a piece of glass from the Libyan desert in the shape of a scarab beetle

If you find yourself in the desert along the border of Libya and Egypt, you can find pale yellow pieces of glass on the sand. Look closely, because before you are traces of the impact of a meteorite that fell 29 million years ago.

This glass is a well-known piece that was used in jewelry found in the tomb of King Tut. The material has a celestial origin and it seems unusual, but researchers are interested in something else. Previously it was believed that such glasses are formed by the explosion of cosmic stones. But the data show that “Libyan glass” was created due to a collision.

And these conclusions are really important, because now we can not worry so much about the consequences created by the explosion of large space rocks in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Egyptian decoration with a piece of meteorite: how dangerous are explosions in the earth's atmosphere

This piece of meteorite exhibits a wonderful variety of minerals inside.

The fact is that the strikes and explosions of meteorites in the air can lead to the melting of sand and other materials. But it is only during a collision that shock waves form that lead to the appearance of high-pressure minerals. Researchers have long suspected that Libyan glass was created because of the arrival of a meteorite. But it was impossible to determine the cause: an explosion or a collision. The scientists decided to examine the pieces of pale yellow glass under a scanning microscope. This made it possible to consider zircon crystals that develop different structures under different types of exposure.

Analysis showed that some crystals were created by a mineral that appears only at an unbelievable level of pressure. This scenario is suitable for a meteorite collision event with the earth’s surface, and not for an explosion in the atmosphere.

Egyptian decoration with a piece of meteorite: how dangerous are explosions in the earth's atmosphere

Researchers consider these results to be incredibly important for planetary defense experts focused on the threat of a collision between Earth and asteroids. The latest concerns are related to the events of 2013, when a meteorite exploded over Chelyabinsk.

New findings suggest that the explosion of meteorites in the air does not have such disastrous consequences, as we thought earlier. Even the explosion of a massive object will not be a disaster. Of course, if we are talking about a scenario of a meteorite falling to the surface, then the picture is still sad. Therefore, representatives of planetary defense will have to continue the search for effective means of protecting the Earth.

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