The yellow glass of the Libyan desert, where Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun’s necklace was made, was formed as a result of a meteorite hitting the Earth’s surface. This conclusion was reached by researchers from universities and research centers in Germany, Egypt and Morocco, and their results were published as follows: Phys.org.
The origin of glass has been a subject of debate among scientists for almost a century. The fact is that in its composition it does not resemble any natural glass and can only be found in a certain part of the desert in the southeast of Libya and the southwest of Egypt. Its age is approximately 29 million years.
The new study describes the results of analysis of two samples of yellow glass purchased from someone living in Libya. They found particles of cubic zirconium, a mineral that can only form at temperatures between 2250 and 2700 °C. A rare polymorph of ortho-II was also discovered, which can only occur at pressures of approximately 130,000 atmospheres.
Based on the above, researchers concluded that such glass could only appear in the Libyan desert as a result of a meteorite impact or an atomic bomb explosion. Considering the age of the glass, scientists settled on the meteorite theory.
Before reportedPetersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI” and St. He said that scientists from St. Petersburg State University have synthesized artificial analogues of natural glass formed as a result of meteorites falling to Earth. The development could be used in targeted drug delivery.
Previous scientists developed A new method of extracting extraterrestrial resources.