Thursday March 28th, 2024
Download SceneNow app
Copied

Mysterious Glass Found in Egypt's Western Desert May Have an Astronomical Origin

Recent studies show the 29 million year old glass may have formed cause of meteorites.

Staff Writer

Mysterious Glass Found in Egypt's Western Desert May Have an Astronomical Origin

Found in the infamous Grand Sea Desert - stretching a whopping 650km between the borders of Egypt and Libya - Libyan Desert Glass is one hell of a mysterious, almost mythical-looking material that looks unearthly. And turns out, it might just be.

  

The formation of the glass goes back as far as 29 million years ago, but without an entirely defined origin. The glass sparked debate over the years regarding it’s origins, with a prominent hypothesis that it’s astronomical in nature. Geologist and planetary scientist Aaron Cavosie, says “It’s been a topic of ongoing debate as to whether the glass formed during meteorite impact, or during an airburst which happens when asteroids called Near Earth Objects explode and deposit energy in the Earth’s atmosphere”, according to Science Alert.

Credit: Egypt Travel Link

In a recent study, Cavosie tested small grains of the mineral contained in the glass, zicron, with results showing evidence of a mineral called reidite, which is a result of high pressure during meteorite impacts. 

Scientists have stated that this evidence is not conclusive to fully settle on an assured origin of the glass, but its sure does invite promise to where this mysterious glass could’ve come from.

The glass can be found ornately decorating king Tut’s dagger, and his pectorals. So there you have it. Pharaohs were no aliens, but they did rock some striking space daggers.