Localization of a bound particle outside the potential well

We describe a simple effect predicted by standard quantum mechanics concerning a particle bound in a potential well brought to the zero-energy state by deformation of the well. When the effect takes place within a crack with impermeable walls the probability of localization of the particle reaches its maximum near the end of the crack. The wave function describing the bound particle may thus decohere far from the potential well. There are numerous instances of experimental data, gathered mostly by geochemists and other scientists over the last several decades, that are anomalous and defy all attempts to explain them by means of classical chemistry and physics. The common attribute of these data is a strange transport of particles over large distances that may be caused by the quantum effect described in the first part of the paper. The motivation for writing this paper is our hope to stimulate interest and critical testing of such an hypothesis.