A bolt of lightning deposits a strange mineral that has never been seen on Earth before

In a new study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, researchers from the University of South Florida have revealed a new type of phosphorous material not previously discovered on Earth, which could represent an entirely new mineral group linking space minerals. and minerals on Earth.

A rare mineral with special conditions for its production

According to a report published on the "Science Alert" website, researchers found a substance that closely matches calcium phosphate "CaHPO3" (CaHPO3) inside "fulgurite", which is a metal ball formed by the reaction of a lightning strike. Lightning with sand Under very high temperature conditions, fulgurites often form when lightning strikes certain types of sand, silica, and rock.

"We've never seen this material form naturally anywhere on Earth, but minerals similar to it can be found in meteorites and space," says geologist Matthew Pasek of the University of South Florida.

Pasek: We've never seen this material form naturally on Earth (University of South Florida)

In their paper, the researchers explained that the lightning bolt caused carbon to burn in a tree on the west coast of Florida, in addition to the iron that had accumulated around its roots.

This type of calcium phosphate can be formed in other high-energy scenarios, and it may play an important role in the movement of the phosphorus element around the Earth, in addition to that the results may also be important in terms of the early periods in the history of our planet, as these types of Lightning strikes and chemical reactions occur regularly on our planet.

Attempts to reconstitute calcium phosphate in the laboratory have not been successful, which indicates that very specific conditions and timings are required to produce this rare mineral, and we may have to wait for another lightning bolt to see it again.

Lightning energy and a new type of lightning phosphor

"Previous researchers indicate that lightning's relationship with phosphates was a widespread phenomenon on Earth at an early age," says geologist Tian Feng of the University of South Florida.

"There is a problem with the environmental phosphate reservoirs in the ground, which makes it difficult to recover these solid phosphate materials," he added.

This 'problem' means that we cannot explain the biological and chemical processes that phosphate is a part of, even though we know they occur, but that depend on phosphate stores that have not yet been discovered.

The research provides more information about the shape and strength of lightning, which can produce materials of particular interest to scientists (Getty Images)

The emergence of this new phosphorus material can help scientists understand more about how phosphorus is converted into other states through chemical reactions by gaining electrons at different levels of temperatures.

The research also provides more information about the shape and strength of the lightning itself, which can produce materials of particular interest to scientists.

"It is important to understand how much energy lightning has, because then we will know how much damage a lightning strike can cause and how dangerous it is," Pasek said in the press release, which was posted on the official website of the University of South Florida.

He added, "Florida is considered the lightning capital of the world, so safety from lightning is important. If lightning is strong enough to melt rocks, it can certainly melt people as well."

According to the press release, Pasek believes that this substance is unlikely to be mined for uses similar to other phosphate uses such as fertilizers, due to its rarity in naturally occurring, however, Pasek plans to conduct further research to determine whether it can be officially declared as a mineral and submitted Additional information about it for the scientific community.