[meteorite-list] New Paper on Trintite in “Geology Today”

From: Paul H. <oxytropidoceras_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 9:00:18 -0600
Message-ID: <20110127100018.CGPED.819145.imail_at_eastrmwml48>

A new summary paper about trinitite was published in late
2010 in ?Geology Today.? The paper is:

Eby, N., R. Hermes, N. Charnley, and J. A. Smoliga, 2010a,
Trinitite?the atomic rock. vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 180?185.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2451.2010.00767.x/abstract
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gto.2010.26.issue-5/issuetoc

One conclusion is that much of the surface layer was
not created by the melting of the ground surface as
previously thought. Instead, they state that further
work has shown that much of the trinitite had been
entrained in the rising cloud of gasses and subsequently
rained down onto the surface as molten droplets. A lot
of this material still retains bead and dumbbell shapes
that were formed as the molten material was
transported by the gas cloud. They note that a significant
amount of these beads and dumbbells was blown
downwind and accumulated over a fairly wide area.
These beads and dumbells are now found commonly
concentrated on the surface of anthills and sometimes
called ?anthill trinitite.?

Among many other things, they found that the red trinitite,
which color results from the presence of copper, contains
metallic chondrules that contain iron and lead. They
conclude that the metallic chondrules ?are melted bits of
the first atomic bomb and the surrounding support
structures?history encased in glass.?

Another paper is:

Fahey, A. J., C. J. Zeissler, D. E. Newbury, J. Davis, and R. M.
Lindstrom, 2010, Postdetonation nuclear debris for attribution.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. vol. 107,
no. 47, pp. 20207-20212.
http://www.pnas.org/content/107/47/20207.abstract

Some online material about trinitite are:

Trinitite ? the Atomic Rock by N. Eby and others
http://faculty.uml.edu/Nelson_Eby/Research/Trinitite/NE_SE%20GSA%20trinitite%20presentation.pdf

Trinitite Varieties (Green, Red, Black & Pearls) by Steven
L. Kay, Nuclearon.
http://www.radiochemistry.org/documents/pdf/trinitite_nuclearon_061608.pdf.

Trinitite, Radioactivity of trinitite after 62 years by
Daniela Pittauerova
http://www.radioaktivitaet.uni-bremen.de/Seminar/Trinitite.pdf

Eby, N., R. Hermes, N. Charnley, and J. A. Smoliga, 2010b,
Trinitite ? the Atomic Rock. Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 42, No. 1, p. 77
http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2010NE/finalprogram/abstract_169905.htm

Yours,

Paul H.
Received on Thu 27 Jan 2011 10:00:18 AM PST