This type of crystal formed in New Mexico, USA nearly a century ago, during the Trinity test - the first nuclear explosion in the world.
Without an atomic explosion triggered by a plutonium device called "Gadget", that mineral would never have been able to form on Earth.
The research group led by geology professor Luca Bindi, University of Florence, Italy, said: "Extreme conditions, existing for a short time due to nuclear explosions, can form solid material phases that conventional fusion methods cannot create.
He added that the group discovered cage-shaped crystals containing calcium, copper and silicate that were previously unknown, formed during the Trinity nuclear test in 1945. This is the first cage-shaped crystal confirmed by crystallography among products created by nuclear explosions.
The explosion on July 16, 1945 released energy equivalent to about 21 kilotons of TNT explosives.
As recreated in the movie Oppenheimer, the explosion immediately caused the approximately 30m high test tower and copper devices used to record experimental data to evaporate. The fireball burned everything around, melting the metal and copper tower along with asphalt and desert sand.
The mushroom cloud then transformed this mixture into a type of glass-like material, now known as trinitite.
Researchers have discovered abnormal structures inside this special material.
In 2021, Professor Bindi and colleagues discovered an unexpected "quasicrystal" in a rare red variant of trinitite, containing metal from the test tower, cables and data recorders.
This red trinitite variant contains crystals with atoms arranged into a cage-like structure. Such structures can "lock" other atoms inside.
Typically, crystals need stable conditions and long time to form sequentially repeated atomic patterns.
Inorganic cage-shaped crystals are particularly rare in nature because they require extremely specific formation conditions.
The Trinity explosion in a short time created these harsh conditions, with temperatures exceeding 1,500 degrees Celsius and extremely high pressure and then suddenly collapsing.
The rapid cooling process forces the atoms to arrange in an unusual structure and "lock" them in place.
Scientists describe this material as a "frozen moment in time", preserving the intense conditions of the explosion, while opening a unique window to help researchers understand the state of the explosion at that time.
Studies of red trinitite have discovered many abnormal mineral structures, including this newly identified cage-shaped crystal structure.
X-ray analysis on a red trinitite sample showed a small drop of copper-rich material inside. This was also the first cage structure ever identified in materials created by a nuclear explosion.
