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A mysterious yellow glass in the Egyptian desert used by King Tut on a pendant was created when an asteroid struck the Earth
- The glass found in the Egyptian desert was created by a meteorite impact
- It was originally thought that the glass was due to an atmospheric explosion
- Researchers examined zircon grains in glass samples
- The zircons in the glass have preserved evidence of the former presence of a high pressure mineral called reidite, which only forms during a meteoritic impact
The glass found in the Egyptian desert was created by a meteorite impact about 29 million years ago, which solved an enigma of nearly a century.
The researchers believe that the origin of the so-called Libyan Desert Glass dispersed across the Sahara Desert in Egypt and Libya was formed when an asteroid exploded into the Earth's atmosphere.
The glass naturally forms when the molten material cools so quickly that the molecules can not settle in an orderly structure, such as a crystal.
The glass was found in ancient jewelry, including a beetle carved in the material of the pectoral jewelry buried near Tutankhamun.
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The glass found in the Egyptian desert was created by a meteorite impact about 29 million years ago, which solved an enigma of nearly a century. The researchers believe that the origin of the so-called Libyan desert glass is scattered across the Saharan desert in Egypt
Earlier studies have claimed that the tiny greenish yellow fragments were caused by an explosion of atmospheric air when asteroids, or objects close to the Earth, explode and throw particles through the earth 's atmosphere.
They say that the resulting breath of air would have submerged the Egyptian desert and poured large amounts of heat into the sand.
Researchers at Australian University Curtin examined tiny zircon grains in glass samples found over several thousand square kilometers in western Egypt.
The zircons in the glass have preserved evidence of the previous presence of a high pressure mineral called reidite, which only forms during a meteoritic impact.
"The question of whether the glass was formed during a meteorite impact or during an air explosion was debated," said Aaron Cavosie, of Curtin University, who directed the study.
"Meteorite impacts and air explosions can cause melting, but only meteorite impacts create shock waves that form minerals under high pressure."
Mr. Cavosie stated that the discovery of evidence relating to the former reidite confirmed that it had been created as a result of a meteorite impact.
The idea that glass could have formed during a large atmospheric assault gained popularity after a dramatic assault on Russia in 2013.
The glass naturally forms when the molten material cools so quickly that the molecules can not settle in an orderly structure, such as a crystal. The glass was found in ancient jewelry, including a beetle carved in the material of the pectoral jewelry buried near Tutankhamun.
Earlier studies have claimed that the tiny greenish yellow fragments were caused by an explosion of atmospheric air when asteroids, or objects close to the Earth, explode and throw particles through the earth 's atmosphere. In the photo, the Coffinette for the viscera of Tutankhamun
Researchers at Australian University Curtin examined tiny zircon grains in glass samples discovered over several thousand square kilometers in western Egypt.
The airburst caused extensive material damage and injury to humans, but did not result in the melting of surface materials.
"Previous models suggested that the glass of the Libyan desert represented a large air spill of 100 megatonnes (Mt), but our results show that this is not the case," Cavosie said.
"Meteorite impacts are catastrophic events, but they are not common.
"Air explosions occur more frequently, but we now know that we should not expect a glass formation event in the Libyan desert in the near future, which is comforting", a- he declared.
The results could help scientists understand the potential threat posed by potential impacts of asteroids.
The results were published in the journal Geology.
WHO WAS KING TUTANKHAMUN AND HOW HIS FALL WAS DISCOVERED?
The face of Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty and ruled between 1332 and 1323 BC. On the right, his famous funeral mask in gold
Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty and ruled between 1332 and 1323 BC.
He was the son of Akhenaton and took the throne at the age of nine or ten years.
When he became king, he married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten.
He died around the age of 18 and his cause of death is unknown.
In 1907, Lord Carnarvon George Herbert asked the English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter to supervise the excavations in the Valley of the Kings.
On November 4, 1922, Carter's group discovered steps leading to Tutankhamun's tomb.
He spent several months cataloging the antechamber before opening the burial chamber and discovering the sarcophagus in February 1923.
When archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the grave in 1922, under the patronage of Lord Carnarvon, the ensuing media frenzy was unprecedented.
Carter and his team took 10 years to clear the tomb of his tomb because of the multitude of items found inside.
For many, Tut embodies the glory of ancient Egypt as its tomb was filled with the glittering riches of the rich dynasty of the 18th Dynasty from 1569 to 1315 BC.
Egyptian antiquities chief Zahi Hawass (3rd L) oversees the removal of the lid of King Tutankhamun's sarcophagus in his underground tomb of the famous Valley of the Kings in 2007.
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