Scientists have found a way to explain the strange teardrop-shaped pieces of glass that appear on the beaches around the city of Hiroshima (Japan).
More than 10,000 strange specimens nicknamed the Hiroshimaites or “Hiroshima’s spooky heritage” have been collected by retired American geologist and marine ecologist Mario Wannier on many beaches around Hiroshima – Japan. . These are pieces of glass, most of them teardrop-shaped and very much like “meteor glass” from the space disaster that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Some shapes of glass drops that Mr. Mario Wannier collected – (photo: Mario Wannier).
The samples were analyzed by Mr. Wannier’s colleagues at the Berkeley Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley – USA) using electron and X-ray microscopy.
Finally, in a recent paper published in the scientific journal Anthropocene, the team confirmed that it was not glass from a meteorite impact. Another disaster, the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 , is the “only coherent explanation”.
The Little Boy atomic bomb caused glass rain to fall on many beaches around Hiroshima – (photo: Mario Wannier).
Some other glass beads – (photo: Mario Wannier).
According to researcher Wannier, these glass beads make up 2.5% of the total sand on beaches around Hiroshima. The atomic bomb called “Little Boy” impacted this place almost like a giant meteorite.
Not only did it burn all of it, the disaster also blasted the remnants into overheated clouds, before pouring a rain of glass over the city and surrounding area.
One of the beaches where “rain of glass” was found – (photo: UC BERKELEY).
Analyzing minerals in the glass beads, the scientists found that they are not pure glass like your drinking glasses. Co-author and professor of mineralogy Rudy Wenk from UC Berkeley says many of the glass beads are irregularly shaped, some of which contain very small particles derived from crushed iron, steel or building materials.