Specimen E 18416 Glass produced by the first nuclear bomb detonation, Trinitite

Summary

Trinitite is a form of glass produced by the first nuclear bomb on 16 July 1945. It is named after the Trinity site, New Mexico, USA, where the bomb was detonated.

Glass forms when a molten material cools rapidly enough that crystals do not have time to form. The high temperatures generated by the Trinity test explosion melted the sand surrounding the test site as well as the bomb and its support structures which then cooled to produce trinitite.