Strange new phosphate compound discovered in "fossilized lightning"

Amazing stuff, but it might be an exotic discovery! Struck by lightening!

"... This particular form of crystalline phosphorus has never been seen on Earth, and could belong to a new mineral group. ...
Fulgurites can be a goldmine for intriguing minerals, thanks to the strange chemical reactions that occur as a result of the extreme energy of a lightning strike. ..."

"... In a recent study ... examines how high-energy events, such as lightning, can cause unique chemical reactions, and in this instance, result in a new material  – one that is transitional between space minerals and minerals found on Earth. ..."

From the abstract:

"Phosphate minerals such as those in the apatite group tend to be the dominant forms of phosphorus in minerals on the Earth’s surface. Phosphate can be reduced to phosphides during high-energy events, such as lightning and impacts. Here we show that, in addition to formation of metal phosphides, a new compound was formed by lightning in a fulgurite from New Port Richey, Florida, USA. A calcium phosphite material, ideally CaHPO3, was found in spherules mainly consisting of iron silicides that formed by lightning-induced fusion of sand around a tree root. This phosphite material bears a phosphorus oxidation state intermediate of that of phosphides and phosphates in a geologic sample and implicates phosphites as being potentially relevant to other high-energy events where phosphorus may partially change its redox state, and material similar to this phosphite may also be the source of phosphite that makes up part of the phosphorus biogeochemical cycle."

Strange new material discovered in "fossilized lightning"

USF geoscientist discovers new phosphorus material after New Port Richey lightning strike

Routes to reduction of phosphate by high-energy events (open access)

Fig. 1: The New Port Richey fulgurite images and microscopy