--- title: "The World’s First Nuclear Bomb Test Forged a Strange Object" description: "Inside a trinitite mineral that was formed during the first nuclear bomb test in 1945, scientists discovered a rare form of matter called a \"quasicrystal.\"" date: "2021-05-18" modified: "2021-05-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/first-nuclear-bomb-forged-strange-object" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "crystallography" - "crystals" - "nuclear bomb" - "nuclear device" --- # The World’s First Nuclear Bomb Test Forged a Strange Object ![]() *\Image: PNAS et al.\* In July 1945, the US Army conducted the first ever nuclear bomb test in New Mexico, called "Trinity." The prototype weapon of mass destruction, known as "Gadget," exploded and released energy equivalent to about 21 kilotons of TNT. In the 1980s, scientists discovered that the nuclear explosion inadvertently created an entirely new material. Surrounding sand, a 90 foot tower, and copper transmission lines were fused together to form a glass-like material called trinitite. Inside this trinitite, scientists discovered a rare form of matter called a "quasicrystal." Rather than the atoms being arranged in a pattern that repeats itself in all three dimensions, as is the case in ordinary crystals found in nature, quasicrystals have atoms that aren't arranged in a periodic pattern. Some of the trinitite that was formed in the 1945 explosion has a 5-fold rotational symmetry, meaning that atoms are arranged to form the shape of a 20-sided solid called an icosahedron. This highly unusual symmetry, which is not possible in nature, was outlined in a [new paper]() to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal *Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.* The research could shed light on what exactly unfurls during nuclear bomb detonations and how they affect the natural surroundings. "Here, we report the discovery, in a sample of red trinitite, of a hitherto unknown composition of icosahedral quasicrystal, Si61Cu30Ca7Fe2," the international team of researchers wrote in their paper. "It represents the oldest extant anthropogenic quasicrystal currently known, with the distinctive property that its precise time of creation is indelibly etched in history." "Quasicrystals are formed in extreme environments that rarely exist on Earth,” said Terry Wallace, director emeritus of Los Alamos National Laboratory and co-author of the paper, in [a statement](). "They require a traumatic event with extreme shock, temperature, and pressure," he added. "We don’t typically see that, except in something as dramatic as a nuclear explosion." The only comparable material found in nature, the researchers say, is a meteorite that dates back at least hundreds of millions of years. "This quasicrystal is magnificent in its complexity — but nobody can yet tell us why it was formed in this way," Wallace explained. "But someday, a scientist or engineer is going to figure that out and the scales will be lifted from our eyes and we will have a thermodynamic explanation for its creation," he added. "Then, I hope, we can use that knowledge to better understand nuclear explosions and ultimately lead to a more complete picture of what a nuclear test represents." https://youtu.be/EkGtzeVifgI **READ MORE:** [Discovery of new material could someday aid in nuclear nonproliferation]() \[Los Alamos National Laboratory\] **More on nuclear bombs:** *[An Underground Tank Is Leaking Massive Amounts of Radioactive Waste]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()