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RE: Utah Tektites?
- To: "'Meteorite List'" <meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com>
- Subject: RE: Utah Tektites?
- From: Steven Excell <excell@concentric.net>
- Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 19:27:50 -0700
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- Resent-Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 22:33:38 -0400 (EDT)
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Hello all,
Julia raises some good questions.
In addition to shocked quartz and other shocked minerals, tektite-like glasses have been found at nuclear test sites. However, classic tektites (as us meteorite-philes know them) are found in many, many locales nowhere near a nuclear test site.
In the 1800s, volcanoes were suspected as the source of tektites. Many studies since have conclusively shown no correlation. Volcanoes do produce glasses -- evidenced by obsidian and Pele's tears -- but are different from tektites in both composition and structure. Volcanic fire-fountaining does not produce expansive strewn fields as large as many tektite fields.
Some tektite strewn fields do correlate well with impact events (Moldavites and Ries Crater, Carribean microtektites and Chixulub, etc.). Not all strewn fields have associated impact craters. The splash shapes match aerodynamically sculptured shapes that can be recreated in a lab wind tunnel. All of this suggests and impact-melt origin.
Hope this is useful,
Steve
From: JJSwaim[SMTP:terrafirma@ibm.net]
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 1998 4:20 PM
To: meteoritelist
Subject: Re: Utah Tektites?
Hi Matt, Martin, Michael and list,
I have been wondering myself if tektites, like shocked quartz , can be a
by-product of nuclear testing. Any thoughts? I assume tektites
produced as a result of volcanic activity has been considered.
Best regards,
Julia