An ancient exploding comet may explain why glass litters part of Chile

An airburst over the Atacama Desert 12,000 years ago melted the ground into glass, scientists say

barren landscape with chunks that look like rocks

A 75-kilometer-long stretch of the Atacama Desert is home to twisted chunks of glass (dark chunks in this image). The glass formed when a comet, or its remnants, exploded over the area 12,000 years ago, researchers say.

P.H. Schultz/Brown Univ.

Scattered across a swath of the Atacama Desert in Chile lie twisted chunks of black and green glass.