Judging quality
Real tektites are non-magnetic, show conchoidal fracture, and have a pitted, etched skin that follows the internal flow structure. Slag and moulded glass fakes show bubbles at the surface and repeat identical shapes.
Impactite
Tektite
Terrestrial rock melted and flung into the atmosphere by a large impact, then frozen into glass as it fell. Indochinite tektites carry deep sculpted grooves; australites can retain aerodynamic flanges from atmospheric re-entry.
Care
Glass — chips on impact. Otherwise inert; wash with water.
History & lore
The Australasian strewn field covers roughly a tenth of the earth's surface and dates to about 790,000 years ago; the source crater has still not been definitively located.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Tektite
- What is Tektite?
- Terrestrial rock melted and flung into the atmosphere by a large impact, then frozen into glass as it fell. Indochinite tektites carry deep sculpted grooves; australites can retain aerodynamic flanges from atmospheric re-entry.
- How hard is Tektite and what is it made of?
- Tektite is a Impactite-family mineral with the composition SiO2-rich natural glass. It crystallizes in the amorphous system and rates 5-6 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in black, brown.
- Where does Tektite come from?
- Notable localities for Tektite include Thailand & Indochina, Tibet, Philippines (bikolite), Australia (australite).
- How do you tell good Tektite from filler?
- Real tektites are non-magnetic, show conchoidal fracture, and have a pitted, etched skin that follows the internal flow structure. Slag and moulded glass fakes show bubbles at the surface and repeat identical shapes.
- How do you care for Tektite?
- Glass — chips on impact. Otherwise inert; wash with water.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.