tektite (redirected from Tektites)

tektite (tĕktīt), naturally occurring, silica-rich (65%–80% SiO₂) glass resembling obsidian and sometimes shale, and is normally jet black to olive green. They appear as small rounded or elongated objects that often have aerodynamic shapes and range from a fraction of an ounce to several pounds in weight. They are found in limited areas on the earth's surface called strewn fields (in contrast to meteorites, which show a random distribution over the whole earth). Tektites, originally named by Eduard Suess are usually given a name derived from the region in which they are found; moldavites (from the Vlatava, or Moldau, River in the Czech Republic), bediasites (from the territory of the Bedias Native Americans in Texas), indochinites, philippinites, australites, javanites, and Côte d'Ivoire tektites are the principal groups. Their peculiar composition, physical characteristics, and restricted geographic distribution gave rise to several theories: one suggests a lunar origin, i.e., that they were the result of a lunar meteorite impact that ejected splashes of molten lunar rock, some of which eventually made their way to earth; however, the composition of moon rocks does not resemble tektites, and the lunar-origin theory, for the most part, is questionable. Another theory suggests their origin to be through the fusion and ejection of terrestrial material by the impact of giant meteorites or comets on the earth; the moldavites and the Côte d'Ivoire tektites have been linked with such impacts, but the source of the remaining tektite groups is still uncertain.

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tektite

Any of a class of small, natural glassy objects found on the Earth's surface and associated with meteorite impacts. The extremely high temperatures and enormous pressures generated when a large meteorite, comet, or asteroid hits the Earth melt the rocks at the site, producing masses of molten droplets that are blasted into and out of the Earth's atmosphere. The droplets cool quickly to a glassy form and then fall back to the Earth.

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tektite [′tek‚tīt]

(geology)

A collective term applied to certain objects of natural glass of debatable origin that are widely strewn over the land and in sediments under the oceans; composition and size vary, and overall shapes resemble splash forms; most tektites are believed to be of extraterrestrial origin. Also known as obsidianite; tectite.