In 1932, in search of the legendary oasis of Zerzura, explorer Clayton and the pilot of Armashi discovered an unusual glass in the Libyan desert. The amazing find covered an area of 150 by 30 km in a sandy valley between Libya and Egypt.
Libyan glass was well known to the ancient Egyptians. The relics of the pharaohs were created from large transparent stones, because it was believed that the material has magical properties. Knives and spearheads were made from small stones.
Space glass
The ancients attributed the origin of the mineral to the results of the war between the god Ra and people. Against the rebels, the gods used the urey, a superweapon that incinerated the rebels.
The sand at the place where the rays hit was burned out, and the people scattered in fear. The molten glassy material remained lying on the site of the first battle between the gods of Egypt and the people.
Currently, the mineral is framed with white gold or silver and is used as inserts in precious stones.
The discovery made by the prototype of the hero of the film "The English Patient" by Armashi was considered sensational for a long time. It turned out that the translucent and rarely transparent completely Libyan glass is tektite, a glassy rock.
It consists of 98% silicon dioxide. The rest is dust. Libyan glass is called the cleanest natural glass on the planet. Usually a light green or greenish-yellow hue predominates.
Meteorite or comet
An unusual mineral is often purchased for home collections. You can buy the stone at exhibitions. It is forbidden to export amazing material from Egypt. There are several versions of the origin of Libyan glass. The main hypotheses were a meteorite fall and an atomic explosion.
The first theory sparked lively discussions. Skeptical scientists assured that a huge crater must have remained at the site of the fall of the celestial body. It was recently discovered in northern Africa. It was impossible to find Kebira earlier, since it was completely covered with sand.
The funnel was 31 km wide. It was also confirmed that a crater was formed as a result of the impact of a huge meteorite on the planet's surface. The name given to the place of the fall means “great”. The message about the find was published by The Daily Galaxy.
Physicists who studied the properties of the material called the mineral a comet fragment. According to their conclusion, at the site of its collision with the Earth, the surface of the desert turned into glass, because the explosion power surpassed the Tunguska one.
Nuclear explosion
All researchers could not come to a consensus. Although particles of meteorite matter were found in the mineral, there are no craters in the area where Libyan glass was found.
There are also supporters of the second version. They are sure that in ancient times a cataclysm occurred at the site of the discovery. After the explosion of an unknown component, the sand turned into glass.
Since a similar phenomenon was recorded after the tests of the atomic bomb, the theory of a military space catastrophe, its supporters believe, is quite plausible. It turns out that the Sinai Peninsula was also caught in the edge by the explosion, because melted stones were also found there.
A glass factory accident?
Recently put forward a new hypothesis. According to her, Libyan glass is quartz, which remained unused for some reason, produced at the factory.
For a long time it was recognized that the ancient Egyptians were the first to make glass. It is quite likely on the basis of this to assume that they also managed to organize a specialized plant. In addition, earlier on the site of the desert there was a blooming area.
The explanation of the riddle by high-temperature thermonuclear fusion became a kind of compromise. This hypothesis is confirmed by multiple experiments and scientific articles.
