The researchers noted that the spectacles are concentrated in patches in the Atacama Desert that lie east of the Pampa del Tamarugal. (Image credit: Shutterstock/Rep)
Scientists knew that something scorched a vast area of the Atacama Desert with such intense heat that it turned the sandy soil into broad slabs of silicate glass.
A new study has suggested that fragments of glass scattered across Chile’s Atacama Desert are the result of an ancient comet that exploded in Earth’s atmosphere about 12,000 years ago. The study, published earlier this week in the journal Geology, involved five scientists from Brown University, Fernbank Science Center, Universidad Santo Tomas, Chile, and the Chilean Geology and Mining Service.
The researchers noted that the glasses are concentrated in patches in the Atacama Desert east of the Pampa del Tamarrugal, a plateau in northern Chile that lies between the Andes Mountains to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west. Dark green or dark glass spots are visible in an area of about 75 km. Scientists knew that something scorched a vast area of the Atacama Desert with such intense heat that it turned the sandy soil into broad slabs of silicate glass.
The study noted that desert glass samples contained fragments of minerals often found in rocks of extraterrestrial origin. Researchers say those minerals appear to match the composition of material returned to Earth by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Stardust mission, which sampled particles from a comet called Wild 2.
Pete Schultz, a professor emeritus in Brown University’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, said in a statement, “This is the first time we have clear evidence of spectacles on Earth created by thermal radiation and winds from exploding fireballs.” Just above the surface.” The team of researchers concluded that the mineral components in desert glass are the remains of a comet with a composition similar to that of Wild 2. It is being speculated that the comet drifted downstream after the explosion, which deserted Melts the sandy surface in the U.S. Describing the alleged comet’s landing at Atacama, Schultz said, “To have such a dramatic effect on such a large area, it was a really big explosion. Many of us have seen fireballs rain down in the sky, but in comparison they are tiny blips. “
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