Never-before-seen ‘crystal-like matter’ hidden in a chunk of fossilized lightning is probably a brand new mineral

A close-up of the fossilized lightning, or fulgurite, that contained the potential new mineral. — An in depth-up of the fossilized lightning, or fulgurite, that contained the potential new mineral. (Picture credit score: Bindi et al. 2023, (CC BY 4.0))

A probably model new mineral might have been hiding inside a bit of “fossilized lightning” from Florida, scientists have revealed.

“We’ve got by no means seen this materials happen naturally on Earth,” Mathew Pasek (opens in new tab), a geoscientist on the College of South Florida, mentioned in a assertion (opens in new tab). “Minerals much like it may be present in meteorites and area, however we have by no means seen this precise materials anyplace.”

The fossilized lightning chunk, or fulgurite, was created when lightning struck a tree close to New Port Richey. Fulgurites type when highly effective lightning bolts discharge by means of the bottom, which melts and fuses any close by soil, sand, rock and natural particles right into a singular metallic-looking lump.

The proprietor of the New Port Richey tree offered the fulgurite to Pasek, who research high-energy chemical reactions like these triggered by lightning. After cracking open the rocky lump, which was round 2.8 inches (7 cenitmeters) lengthy and 0.8 inches (2 cm) vast, Pasek and fellow researchers found a “colourful, crystal-like matter” throughout the fulgurite. Subsequent evaluation revealed that the mysterious matter was a beforehand unknown materials consisting primarily of calcium phosphate (CaHPO3). The group strongly suspects that the brand new materials is a brand-new mineral sort, however it’s going to take time for this to be confirmed by different scientists.

The researchers printed their findings March 14 within the journal Communications Earth & Setting (opens in new tab).

Associated: Highly effective laser blast used to manage lightning for the primary time

An electron microscope image of the new mineral.

An electron microscope picture of the fulgurite. The potential new mineral seems darkish gray and is peppered with tiny metallic chunks. (Picture credit score: Bindi et al. 2023, (CC BY 4.0))

Throughout their evaluation, the researchers additionally tried, and failed, to recreate the mineral in a lab. The scientists imagine they didn’t recreate the brand new materials as a result of it quickly varieties underneath exact situations which can be onerous to foretell and replicate: Each time they obtained shut, the compound would begin to break down into one thing else as a result of it had been heated for too lengthy.

The researchers hope that this type of calcium phosphate can quickly be confirmed as a brand new mineral, at which level it will likely be formally named. Additionally they imagine that different brand-new mineral varieties might be created by means of an analogous pathway and wish to look at extra fulgurites to check this idea.

This isn’t the primary time that an surprising compound has been found in fossilized lightning. In December 2022, researchers discovered a uncommon sort of quasicrystal in a fulgurite unearthed in Nebraska’s Sandhills. (Quasicrystals are uncommon, “rule-breaking” crystals with patterns that don’t repeat.)

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