Science & Technology

'Impossible' crystal found at site of world's first nuclear weapons test

By T.K. Randall
May 13, 2026 ·  0 comments

Image: Trinity Detonation
Credit: United States Department of Energy / (PD) At 5:29 am on July 16th 1945, the skies southeast of Socorro, New Mexico lit up as the world's first ever nuclear weapon detonation changed the world forever.

The 'Trinity' test, as it was known, was the first of many and with a yield of around 25kt, it had a profound effect on its immediate vicinity, the consequences of which scientists are continuing to discover, even today.

The latest such find - a mysterious crystal - was found within the resultant trinitite (a melted amalgamation of sand, copper and asphalt forged within the extreme heat of the blast).

Scientists believe that the unique conditions of the explosion - extreme temperatures, rapid cooling and immense pressures - created crystal structures found nowhere in nature.The study was headed up by geologist Luca Bindi of Italy's University of Florence.

"Extreme, transient conditions produced by nuclear detonations can generate solid-state phases inaccessible to conventional synthesis," the researchers wrote.

"We report the discovery of a previously unknown calcium copper silicate type-I clathrate formed during the 1945 Trinity nuclear test; the first crystallographically confirmed clathrate identified among nuclear-explosion products."

The findings offer a unique look at some of the oft-overlooked consequences of nuclear war.

If one blast can do this to sand and asphalt, the effects of a large scale conflict would be unimaginable.

Source: Science Alert | Comments (0)

Tags: Nuclear