Now here's an attempt at explaining science to laypersons gone wrong: > [...] makes use of a rare element, beryllium-10, or 10Be, that occurs when stars in the

Now here's an attempt at explaining science to laypersons gone wrong: > [...] makes use of a rare element, beryllium-10, or 10Be, that occurs when stars in the Milky Way explode and send high-energy particles, called cosmic rays, rocketing toward Earth. When this galactic shrapnel slams into the Earth’s crust, it splits oxygen in the soil apart, leaving tiny trace amounts of 10Be [...] I would say 10Be is formed by cosmic rays hitting the crust, then it occurs there. And "rocketing" is far slower than the speed at which these particles travel (almost light speed). Also, comparing subatomic particles to "shrapnel" (a macroscopic object) sounds a bit strange to me, but since these are parts broken off from atoms, similar to the way shrapnel breaks off from a grenade, it might make sense...