[meteorite-list] A Tektite Shower?

From: Sterling K. Webb <kelly_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:54:04 2004
Message-ID: <3C6B34C6.CCF0874_at_bhil.com>

Hi,

    Well, one of the things I'm sure Darryl would point out is that the density of
these objects is out of the range of tektites: too light at 2.14. (The last
correspondence I had with Darryl, less than a week before his death, was about
measuring the density of some supposed bediasites for him.)
    While sample no. 2 in the Russian article is tektite-like in elemental
composition, the illustrations of the objects dispose one to the opinion that these
are not tektites. Their forms do not resemble those of tektites at all, with the
exception of a few forms that look like they have melted or distorted flanges like
Australite buttons, except that the flanges on buttons do not melt or distort; they
fracture. There are far too many shapes that are clearly the result of the melt
distortion of smooth geometric shapes. (Quick, Boris, the blowtorch!)
    Another strong negative indicator is the clear presence of conchoidal
fractures. This is characteristic of natural glasses like obsidian (and very
common, too), but tektites never display these scooped-out concave fractures.
    The assertion in the English abstract that these glasses "can be exlained be
[explained by] the hipothesis of fulgurie [fulgurite] non-Earth origin of tektites"
suggests to me the author is a disciple of Edward Dobryshevski of the Ioffe
Physical Technical Institute in St. Petersburg.
    Dobryshevski has put forward an "explosive cosmology" that interprets solar
system activity as resulting from electrochemical processes in icy bodies (comets)
which produces violent explosions and electrical discharges. He applies his theory
to everything from the formation of the solar system to the cratering of icy bodies
and exploding comets and... you name it. The "fulgurite" explanation of tektites
would seem to fit right in with this theory.
    You can find an abstract of Dobryshevski's theory (in English) at:
<http://www.snezhinsk.ru/spe2000/abstracts/ae96040.htm>
    It's worth a look if you need (comic) relief.
    I wish I could read Russian. Are they asserting that this "rainfall" was
observed? A new tektite fall, particularly an observed one, would, of course, be
the biggest news in tektites in all of human history (unless Java Man watched the
Australites come down in their millions), but it would take a lot to convince me.
    Some problems in proving a new fall? Well, they would have to have
potassium-argon dates of effectively zero, but then newly fabricated fakes would
also. Convincing shapes could merely be molded. The density could be right, but so
what?
    Perhaps the only convincingly unfakable datum would be H2O content. I'm pretty
sure that no one could produce a fake tektite as dry as a real one. Even nuclear
bomb glasses are not quite as dry as a tektite. Does this article give the water
content of these "tektites"?

Sterling K. Webb
-------------------------------------------
Footnote: There are anomalous Russian tektites that are not part of the "Big Four"
tektite fields: 1.) three from Novy Urei with 80ppm water content and K-Ar and
fission-track ages of 22-24 million years, and 2.) one from Magnitogorsk in the
Urals with a K-Ar age of 6.3 million years.
-------------------------------------------

Bernd Pauli HD wrote:

> "Treiman, Allan" wrote:
>
> > A RAINFALL OF TEKTITES IN NIZHIJ NOVGOROD REGION IN WINTER 1996/1997
> >
> > The article is in Russian, here.
> >
> > http://www.meteorite.narod.ru/proba/kommet/NNtext.htm
> >
> > Ever heard of this? The article has some chemical analyses of the
> > 'tektite glass,' and one looks really artificial -- high silica and sodium,
> > but almost no aluminum. The other looks maybe reasonable.
>
> Hello Allan and List,
>
> What a pity that Darryl Futrell is no longer around to shed some light on this.
>
> I wonder what Bill Glass - nomen est omen - would have to say about these
> "tektite glasses". Maybe someone could contact him!
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Bernd
Received on Wed 13 Feb 2002 10:53:43 PM PST