Scientists Discover New Crystal Type in Nuclear Blast Glass from 1945 Trinity Test

The US Army’s Trinity test in 1945 marked humanity’s first nuclear weapon detonation—a pivotal, grim milestone that preceded the devastating bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and reshaped the global order. The blast’s aftermath left behind an irradiated crater in the New Mexico desert, where scientists later identified a glassy remnant known as trinitite.

Trinitite formed when the desert sand, remnants of the test tower, and coaxial cables fused under the extreme heat and force of the explosion. While most trinitite appears as a greyish-green material, a rare red crystal variant has long captivated researchers due to its unsettling, flesh-like protrusions.

Now, a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has used CT and X-ray scans to analyze this mysterious crystal. The findings reveal something unprecedented: a clathrate, a material that traps atoms within its lattice. This clathrate had never been observed in nature or in the wreckage of a nuclear explosion before.

“It’s a completely new kind of clathrate crystal — something never seen before in nature or in the products of a nuclear explosion.”

The research highlights the extreme, almost incomprehensible conditions created by nuclear warfare—conditions that continue to yield scientific surprises nearly a century later. For those tempted to search for trinitite in the New Mexico desert, caution is advised: collecting the material is illegal.

Further Reading

For more on nuclear projects and their impacts, see: The Trump Administration Is Doing Something Horrifying to Workers at Nuclear Facilities.