In what sounds like a superhero’s origin story, scientists have discovered a new type of material created after lightning struck a tree. This particular form of crystalline phosphorus has never been seen on Earth, and could belong to a new mineral group.
During a thunderstorm in the summer of 2012, lightning struck a tree in New Port Richey, Florida, which flash-melted soil and sand around the roots to form a structure called a fulgurite, or “fossilized lightning.” The owners of the property found and sold the fulgurite to University of South Florida (USF) geoscientist, Matthew Pasek.
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Fulgurites can be a goldmine for intriguing minerals, thanks to the strange chemical reactions that occur as a result of the extreme energy of a lightning strike. And when the USF team cracked this one open, they discovered a strange new form of calcium phosphite.
Read more: New Atlas
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