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Libya: Libyan Desert's Yellow Glass - How We Discovered the Origin of These Rare and Mysterious Shards
The Conversation Africa, 20 November 2023
The Great Sand Sea Desert stretches over an area of 72,000km2 linking Egypt and Libya. If you find yourself in a particular part of the desert in south-east Libya and south-western… Read more »
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Africa: Sahara Space Rock 4.5 Billion Years Old Upends Assumptions About the Early Solar System
The Conversation Africa, 29 August 2023
In May 2020, some unusual rocks containing distinctive greenish crystals were found in the Erg Chech sand sea, a dune-filled region of the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. Read more »
Origins of Rare Libyan Desert Glass Mystery Solved
Libyan desert glass is a rare and enigmatic type of natural glass found in the Great Sand Sea Desert. It is known for its beauty, rarity, and mystery, writes Elizaveta Kovaleva for The Conversation Africa.
Its origin has been debated for decades, with theories suggesting it might be from volcanoes on the moon, lightning strikes, or sedimentary or hydrothermal processes. However, recent research using advanced microscopy techniques has identified Libyan desert glass as originating from the impact of a meteorite on the Earth's surface. The glass is about 29 million years old and contains small minerals called zirconium oxides (ZrO2), which can only form at high temperatures and pressures.
This finding provides strong evidence for the meteorite impact origin of the glass, but the exact location of the parental crater remains a mystery.
Libyan Desert Glass, an impact glass found in the Great Sand Sea of the Libyan-Egyptian Libyan Desert along the border (file photo)
