[meteorite-list] Moldavite Update

From: MexicoDoug_at_aol.com <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Jul 21 15:42:49 2005
Message-ID: <8.6cc38154.30115468_at_aol.com>

AL M. wrote:

>Someone mentioned one time of putting tektites in a microwave
>oven for a bit (on high) to try to determine if it is an Earth based
>specimen or a possible tektite. This seems reasonable to me
>but I'm not a real tektite buff. If it is a tektite then it shouldn't
>get hot as there is a lack of moisture to vibrate and get hot
>where something Earth based which has more moisture
 
Hola Al, (Mark Fe, and Norm),
 
Funny you should mention this, I promise I also was going to speculate on
the same microwave musing in my prior post on the subject, but to really
promise I wasn't trying it with my tektites and don't blame me if the wrong
authentic tektite blew up.
 
The reason I didn't mention it afterall, although the keyboard trigger
fingers were hard to control, was because microwave radiation from microwave ovens
is not optimized for absorption by water. I know this might sound wrong -
why wouldn't an oven be more efficient...but the problem is that if the ovens
really were optimized for water rotational states, etc., the 'waves would be
absorbed by the first water (in food) on the surface that the wave shined on,
and we would end up with water vapors pouring off the "skin" of the foods and
 inside the oven, and little penetration or warming inside. Not a good way
to cook that hamburger:(
 
So if we put a tektite inside an oven for a long time to work the
temperature up, we shouldn't forget that micro bubbles are not only possible in
tektites, but probable. So whatever is in there, water included could conceptually
create a stress and fracture the tektite. Tektites are remarkably
uniform...but they do have built in stresses which can be seen by measures under
appropriately using polarized light you can see the birefringence.
 
Will this be enough to micro or macro fracture the tektite? I have no idea.
 But if anyone is brave enough to do this test, DON'T do it with layered
Muong Nong tektites, which not only contain more water (say triple) as typical
tektites, but also have greater built in stresses...
 
Either way, there might be something to it Al, just I'd be chicken to try
it! Can't wait to hear Norm's results, and ir you or anyone want to do the
microwave deal...that too out of true interest and a bit of healthy morbid
curiosity...
Saludos, Doug
 
Received on Thu 21 Jul 2005 03:41:28 PM PDT