Curtin University researchers have helped uncover evidence of a mysterious giant asteroid impact, hidden not in a crater but in tiny pieces of glass found only in Australia.
The discovery centres on rare tektites, which are natural glasses created when a space rock slams into Earth, melting surface material and hurling it hundreds or even thousands of kilometres. The newly discovered type of tektites have so far been found exclusively in an area mainly within South Australia.
“These tektites are unique because of their unusual chemistry and their age, which is about 11 million years,” Lead author Anna Musolino, a PhD student at Aix-Marseille University, said
The study was part of a larger research project led by Emeritus Professor Pierre Rochette from Aix-Marseille University and highlights both the destructive power of past impacts and the importance of studying them.