The Hellenic Survey of Geology and Mineral Exploration (EAGME) collected and analyzed a sample of African dust that recently covered the region of Attica, using its new state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope (JSM-IT500L), capable of magnification up to 300,000 times.
Under the microscope, the dust particles were found to be smaller than 10 μm in diameter. Chemical analysis revealed that the dust mainly consists of aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), and calcium (Ca), with trace amounts of iron (Fe) and titanium (Ti).
Essentially, African dust is a fine particulate matter (pale dust) that remains suspended in the atmosphere and travels long distances due to wind currents and its very small grain size.
