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tektite

File:Two_tektites.JPG · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ468438· pop 44· linked from 365 articles

thumb|250px|Two splash-form tektites, molten terrestrial ejecta from a [[meteorite impact]]

Wikidata facts

Subclass of
impactite
Image
Tectiti.jpg
Show 4 more facts
topic's main category
Category:Glass in nature
Commons category
Tektites
Commons gallery
Tektite
opposite of
meteorite
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via Wikidata · CC0

~12 min read

Encyclopedic overview

13 sections
Contents
  • Characteristics
  • Classification
  • Occurrence
  • Age
  • Origins
  • Terrestrial source theory
  • Nonterrestrial source theories
  • See also
  • References
  • Notes
  • Literature
  • Books
  • External links

thumb|250px|Two splash-form tektites, molten terrestrial ejecta from a [[meteorite impact]]

Tektites () are gravel-sized bodies composed of black, green, brown or grey natural glass formed from terrestrial debris ejected during meteorite impacts. The term was coined by Austrian geologist Franz Eduard Suess (1867–1941), son of Eduard Suess. They generally range in size from millimetres to centimetres. Millimetre-scale tektites are known as microtektites.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “tektite” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (21)