Trinitite 1.17g - Trinity Test Site, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, USA

Own a piece of history. Trinitite is the rare, olive-green glass created when desert sand fused under the intense heat of the world’s first atomic bomb test—code-named Trinity. The detonation took place at 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945, at the Trinity Site about 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, on the White Sands Proving Ground (now White Sands Missile Range).

The blast—roughly equivalent to 20 kilotons of TNT—melted the desert surface and left a glass-lined crater about 10 ft deep and nearly 1,100 ft across.

Most Trinitite in collections today was recovered in the late 1940s–early 1950s. In 1952, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission banned collecting Trinitite, and the crater was bulldozed and buried. Collecting Trinitite at the site remains strictly prohibited. All specimens we offer come from old, pre-ban collections and are legal to own.

• Material: Trinitite (Trinity Glass, Atomic Artifact)
• Locality: Trinity Site, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, USA
• Collected Pre-ban: 1940s-50s
• Size: 15 x 12 x 6mm 
• Weight: 1.17g
• Includes: 1.25" collector's box with label.
  
  

Collector's Notes:

• Authentic artifact of a pivotal moment in science and world history.
• Distinctive sage-to-bottle-green glass with a matte, vesicular surface.
• Documented, legally obtained specimens from vintage collections.
• Low, background-level radioactivity comparable to common granites; safe to handle and display.

A fascinating characteristic of Trinitite is its dual surface: a sand-grain textured underside and a smooth, melted upper surface. Many researchers suggest this formed when sand was drawn up into the fireball of the explosion and later rained back down, rather than simply melting in place beneath the blast.

The Trinity Site remains closed to the public most of the year, opening only 1–2 times annually for limited visitors. Our specimens come from the collection of a retired rock shop owner, carefully stored away for decades—authentic pieces of history preserved through time.

To show unique details, each piece of Trinitite is photographed close-up. This may make items appear larger than their actual size. Please refer to size measurements for accurate assessment.