'Glass rain' falls on Hiroshima beach

Scientists have sought to explain the strange glass pieces of water droplets that appear throughout the beaches around Hiroshima (Japan).

More than 10,000 exotic specimens nicknamed Hiroshimaites or "spooky legends of Hiroshima" have been collected by many geologists and retired marine ecology Mario Wannier on many beaches around Hiroshima city - Japan . These are pieces of glass, most of which are teardrop-shaped and very similar to "meteor glass" fired from the catastrophic space-killing disaster of 66 million years ago.

Some shapes of glass drops collected by Mario Wannier - (photo: Mario Wannier).

The specimens were Wannier's colleagues at the Berkeley Laboratory, at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley - USA), analyzed by electron microscopy and X-rays.

Finally, in the recent issue of the Anthropocene scientific journal, the team confirmed that it was not a glass created from a meteorite impact. Another disaster, the US atomic bombing on Hiroshima in 1945 , was the "coherent explanation".

The atomic bomb Little Boy caused glass rain to fall on many beaches around Hiroshima - (photo: Mario Wannier).

Some other glass beads - (photo: Mario Wannier).

According to Wannier, these glass particles account for 2.5% of the total sand on the beaches around Hiroshima. The atomic bomb called "Little Boy" affected this place almost like a giant meteorite plunged down.

Not only did it burn all, disaster also fired remnants into overheating clouds, before pouring a glass of rain down on the city and surrounding area.

One of the beaches where "glass rain" is found - (photo: UC BERKELEY).

Analyzing minerals in glass beads, scientists found they were not pure glass like your drinking glasses. Co-author, mineralogist professor Rudy Wenk from UC Berkeley said that many irregular shaped glass beads, some containing very small particles derived from iron, steel or construction materials are crushed.