Among the shell fossils found in the Tamiami Formation, a strata at the time of the Polio Plyistose, 5 million to 12,000 years ago, strange beads like glass beads appeared. However, as a result of research, this glass ball is evidence that meteorites collided with the ancient Earth.
In the Tamiami Formation in Florida, USA, many fossils from the time of the Polio Plyistose are found. The glass beads found in the shellfish fossils found in this stratum were created by heat and can be thought of as being formed in processes such as volcanic activity or industrial activity. However, the Tamiami Formation does not contain volcanic rocks, so it can be said that there were no volcanoes nearby.
Then, how was this glass bead created? The research team estimates that an ancient meteorite hit the Earth. When a meteorite collides, it enters the atmosphere and the heated fragments of the meteorite splash into the atmosphere and fall to the ground, creating cooling, fine glass beads, and tektite.
The Harrisburg University research team revealed that among the shell fossils, small glass beads appeared several times. Among the fossils of shellfish, 83 or so glass beads were found, and because other research data exist, these glass beads are said to have been stored for more than 10 years. Eventually, however, he began further investigation while taking time to check the glass beads.
The research team investigated the tectite found in shellfish fossils using an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope. It is for analyzing physical properties and for component analysis. As a result, compared to volcanic rocks and glass beads produced by industrial processes, it is not impossible to have glass beads produced by industrial processes in Florida, but it is quite unlikely that they will be included in shell fossils. Shells open for some time after they die, but sediment accumulates on them and eventually closes tightly. It is clear that the glass beads found in fossils are not made with modern technology, since the fact that shellfish are buried by sediment is much earlier than the beginning of human industrial activity.
In addition, the size, shape, and chemical composition were also different from the glass beads made during the industrial process. It was said that the composition of particles could not have been generated from volcanoes. Therefore, the glass beads found in shells seem to be one of the microscopic meteorites flying from space or the tectite created by the collision of meteorites.
It was discovered that the chemical composition also contained a large amount of sodium, but the glass beads were found to be tectite by excluding the possibility of micro meteorites. The reason micro meteorites do not contain a lot of sodium is that when the meteorite enters the atmosphere, the surface overheats and most of the minerals evaporate.
Since the tectite found in the shell contains a lot of sodium, it is believed that the meteorites that collided with the earth in the ancient times fell near the rock salt mines or the sea. Related information can be found here .