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Health & Science5h 44m ago
Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Shawn Wright discovered 'shocked soil,' a new material type of impactite, while doing field work in the Lonar crater in India.
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Lonar crater, Deccan region, India
Who
Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Shawn Wright, Joseph Michalski of Hong Kong University
What
Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Shawn Wright discovered 'shocked soil,' a new material type of impactite, while doing field work in the Lonar crater in India.
When
Wed, 17 Jun 2026 17:39:01 GMT · 5h 44m ago
Where
Lonar crater, Deccan region, India ·
Why
This 'shocked soil' was formed when a meteoroid struck, generating a wave of energy that transformed the local soil into a glassy material.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
The discovery of 'shocked soil' on Earth, which is rare due to geological processes, suggests such impactites may be more prevalent on Mars and could provide valuable information to astrobiologists about past microbial life, organics, water, and atmospheric conditions on other planets.
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4 events in this thread- Currently Reading5h 44m agoPlanetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Shawn Wright discovered 'shocked soil,' a new material type of impactite, while doing field work in the Lonar crater in India.
- Health & Science5h 44m agoPlanetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Shawn Wright discovered 'shocked soil,' a new type of impactite, while doing field work among the basaltic volcanic rock of Lonar crater in the Deccan region of India.Open article
- Health & Science5h 44m agoPlanetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Shawn Wright discovered 'shocked soil' while doing field work in the Lonar crater in India.Open article
- Health & Science5h 44m agoPlanetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Shawn Wright discovered a new type of impactite, 'shocked soil,' while doing field work at Lonar crater in the Deccan region of India.Open article