Comet Impact-glass with Paleograss imprints

[bdevey]

This is Wild, Just imagine what took place. The explosion and shock wave and then Molten glass landing on the forest floor. 

 

Quote from paper.... "Paleograss imprints and H2O diffusion fronts on the bottom of some in situ samples indicate emplacement on wet sediments before being completely quenched, consistent with local late Pleistocene environmental conditions at that time. Finally, all glasses occur in sediments of late Pleistocene age"

 

Widespread glasses generated by cometary fireballs during the late Pleistocene in the Atacama Desert, Chilehttps://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/doi/10.1130/G49426.1/609354/Widespread-glasses-generated-by-cometary-fireballs click on pdf

[Gareth_]

I have a small collection of tektites! The very rare tektites (moldavites) are a translucent green/yellow colour, I think different locations call them other names too. These are very, very expensive. The tektites I have are from the Philippines and are opaque black, more common and reasonably priced. They were definitely molten while flying through the air.

I'm not sure if the different colour is due to a different type of original rock, impact pressure/temperature etc

But agreed, the conditions necessary to make these things is mind blowing 

[Thomas.Dodson]

Tektites are interesting. They're apparently common in the Hell Creek Formation (I gathered a bunch of smaller ones at a site I was at). When I was in Georgia I learned that there are a lot of tektite enthusiasts there. In parts of Georgia "Georgiatektite" was quite rare and valuable. This appears to be a moldavite like Gareth_ mentions.

 

Have you heard of the Tanis site in North Dakota? If you like how tektites can be involved in fossils and specific events recorded in stratigraphy you might want to look into it. Among other things, the Tanis site preserved a multitude of fish that had their gills choked with microtektites from the Chicxulub impact event.

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

7 hours ago, Gareth_ said:

I have a small collection of tektites! The very rare tektites (moldavites) are a translucent green/yellow colour, I think different locations call them other names too. These are very, very expensive. The tektites I have are from the Philippines and are opaque black, more common and reasonably priced. They were definitely molten while flying through the air.

I'm not sure if the different colour is due to a different type of original rock, impact pressure/temperature etc

But agreed, the conditions necessary to make these things is mind blowing 

 

 

That's so cool!

 

Thanks for sharing, Gareth, and Bob.

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

5 minutes ago, Thomas.Dodson said:

Georgiatektite

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

7 minutes ago, Thomas.Dodson said:

Tanis site preserved a multitude of fish that had their gills choked with microtektites from the Chicxulub impact event.

 

Well whadda ya know!? I'd love to see that, time to do a little hunt on google.

 

Found em! The tektites were a chemical match to the Chicxulub ejecta...

Truly beautiful!

 

I think I remember the Common Descent Podcast covering a similar site in their news section.  

 

Might have to try and dig that up!

Edited November 16, 2021 by IsaacTheFossilMan

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

Bingo! 

 

Episode 58 – The Bone Wars

 

In this episode, the Tanis site is mentioned. Linked to here:

Fossils may capture the day the dinosaurs died. Here's what you should know. (nationalgeographic.com)

[bdevey]

16 hours ago, Gareth_ said:

I have a small collection of tektites! The very rare tektites (moldavites) are a translucent green/yellow colour, I think different locations call them other names too. These are very, very expensive. The tektites I have are from the Philippines and are opaque black, more common and reasonably priced. They were definitely molten while flying through the air.

I'm not sure if the different colour is due to a different type of original rock, impact pressure/temperature etc

But agreed, the conditions necessary to make these things is mind blowing 

 

 

 

That's a great collection, museum-quality. I just spent an hour looking for my only tektite Probably a good thing, as I was going to cut it and take a better look inside. 

[Gareth_]

On 11/17/2021 at 4:25 PM, bdevey said:

That's a great collection, museum-quality. I just spent an hour looking for my only tektite Probably a good thing, as I was going to cut it and take a better look inside. 

I have to admit, 3 of them had just been purchased to sell, I wouldn't have minded if they didn't sell but they all went within 24 hours of me listing them..... however I've bought some more for my collection (this time, translucent tektites) and I have a meteorite for my collection! 

I think there will be enough interest in this stuff to justify it's own thread so keep an eye out for it