Tektite from Thailand

A tektite from Thailand, a natural glass with a deep black color and a scarred surface texture. The melt traces on the surface document its glowing flight through the atmosphere after a meteorite impact.

Tektites are formed during a meteorite impact. Parts of the molten terrestrial rock are ejected as glowing droplets through the atmosphere. During their flight, these droplets solidify into glass and, a few seconds later, fall back to the ground as small, often drop-shaped pieces.

The Southeast Asian tektite fields date back to an impact approximately 790,000 years ago, the crater of which has not yet been definitively identified. The pieces known as indochinites are distributed across a strewn field from Thailand to Australia.

Unlike a classic meteorite, tektite does not consist of extraterrestrial material, but rather of terrestrial rock. It was transformed into glass by the melting energy of a cosmic impact.

A collector's item with clear provenance, compact in hand, impressive on display.