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](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/111521_FK_comet-glass_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
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.