What is Tektite?
Tektite is natural impact glass formed when a meteorite event melts and ejects terrestrial material, producing distinctive dark glassy forms collected from several strewn fields.
Mineralogy and structure
Reference formula: SiO2-rich. Tektite is an amorphous natural glass rather than a crystalline mineral species. It intentionally receives no artificial crystal lattice; chemistry, bubbles, flow textures and strewn-field provenance are more informative than a mineral formula. Tektite is classified with natural glass and has not applicable because the material is amorphous. Typical hardness is 5–6 on the Mohs scale and specific gravity is approximately 2.1–2.8.
Colour, lustre and habit
Typical colours include black, brown, olive-green, grey, colourless. The usual massive, splash-form, aerodynamic habit and vitreous, dull lustre help describe a specimen, but colour alone is not diagnostic.
Formation and notable localities
Tektite forms in or is associated with hypervelocity meteorite impacts, melting and rapid cooling of silica-rich terrestrial target rocks. Important documented localities include Australasian, North American, Central European and Ivory Coast strewn fields.
Impact glass with a planetary-scale origin story
Tektites sell as tactile collector materials because every piece combines a dark glass surface, impact history and a recognisable strewn-field identity. Shape, transparency, bubbles, flow texture and verified provenance drive interest.
Collecting and care
Protect polished surfaces from scratches and sharp impact. Clean gently with water and a soft cloth; do not present glassy fragments as a crystal or infer an exact locality without documentation.
