Lot 967
Trinitite From First Atomic Bomb Blast. Trinitite is a glassy light green fused silica sand that was created by the first atomic bomb blast near Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945. The intense heat of the resulting fireball depressed a 300 yard in diameter crater transforming the desert sand beneath the crater into one of the rarest minerals on earth, Trinitite. Contained within the Trinitite are melted bits of the first atomic bomb itself as well as the supporting structure. This fairly large specimen is 38 x 29 x 5 mm and weighs 4.47 grams which is considerably larger than most pieces available. There is a green glossy color on top of the specimen and a fused gray stone bottom. All available specimens of Trinitite were collected in the late 1940's and early 1950's. In 1953 the entire site was bulldozed and buried by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Trinitite resembles meteorite tektites which were also formed at extremely high temperatures when very large meteorites were vaporized before impacting the ground liquefying the ground material which then solidified as it fell from the sky into a glassy substance known as a Tectite. This rare specimen is contained in a 6 x 5" Riker mount with a picture of the actual 1945 atomic explosion. Trinitite is still mildly radioactive but is considered to be safe to handle but should not be swallowed. $425 - 600
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| Realized $630 |
