First Nuclear-Blast Clathrate Found in Trinity Test Glass

Overview

• In a May 2026 PNAS study, researchers analyzing red trinitite from the 1945 Trinity test identified a previously unknown Ca–Cu–Si type‑I clathrate.
• The clathrate is a silicon cage crystal that traps calcium atoms with traces of copper and iron, and it is the first of its kind confirmed from a nuclear explosion.
• The newly found phase sits alongside a silicon‑rich quasicrystal in the same copper‑rich droplet, and modeling indicates the two formed independently under the blast’s brief, extreme conditions.
• Gamma‑ray measurements and imaging place the sample near the test tower’s coaxial cable, roughly 180 to 197 feet from ground zero, tying the specimen to specific site hardware.
• The team combined electron microscopy, single‑crystal X‑ray diffraction, nano‑CT, and first‑principles calculations, a multimodal approach that expands clathrate chemistry and offers tools to read bomb scenes and design materials formed far from equilibrium.