At https://phys.org/news/2022-12-quasicrystal-accidental-electrical-discharge.html … a quasicrystal formed during an accidental electrical discharge. A paper in PNAS refers to a quasicrystal found in a sand dune in Nebraska. Quasicrystals possess properties not found in ordinary crystals but have been found in meteorites and in debris from nuclear blasts. This one was embedded in a sand dune and had a dodecagonal symmetry [12 fold] and seems to have formed via an electrical surge. Either from a power line landing on the sand – or via lightning. It was found inside a fulgarite – tubular in shape. Fulgarites have been associated with electrical discharges previously and in this case was formed from a melting of sand and metal, possibly from a power line.
Instant Quasicrystal
2 January 2023Electromagnetism