[meteorite-list] Heating moldavites and tektite look-alikes

From: JKGwilliam <h3chondrite_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Jul 21 16:18:12 2005
Message-ID: <6.2.1.2.2.20050721131352.02bd8140_at_pop.west.cox.net>

Many of use did a lot of speculating about these "Arizonaites" or
"Grahamites" that were found in Eastern Arizona. Both Jim Kriegh and John
Blennert told me the same story that Bernd just related here. I believe
they even tried heating the test specimens with a torch to see what
specimens would froth and which ones wouldn't.
I figured that they were Apache Tears since we were within 50 miles of an
area that is known worldwide for it's Apache Tear deposits.

JKGwilliam

At 12:57 PM 7/21/2005, bernd.pauli_at_paulinet.de wrote:
>AL 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 ... "
>
>
>Hello AL, Doug, Norm, and List,
>
>Back in the year 2000, Jim Kriegh experimented with Apache tears and those
>tektite look-alikes from Arizona that I chose to simply call Arizonaites
>(there are 18 of these in my collection which I got from Jim and Twink).
>Here is what Jim wrote:
>
>" ... Thought there is something you should know about the Arizona
>'whatevers'.
>I had a chemist friend (he also has studied geology) heat one of them in
>an oven
>along with an Apache tear. The Apache tear foamed as the water started
>coming out
>of it. The Arizonaite showed no signs of water. He even raised the temperature
>another 500 degrees F above what the Apache tear started foaming and all the
>Arizonaite did was glow red. After cooling it looked the same as before. I
>am going
>to test some more to see if any moisture shows up. Dr. Kring decided to
>look at some
>after I told him about no moisture in them but he said he still thinks
>they must be
>volcanic in source."
>
>This should also be applicable to "real", "genuine" tektites and
>moldavites, and those man-made glasses we are talking about.
>
>but, please, be careful in case anyone should try (safety goggles, etc.!)
>
>
>Best wishes,
>
>Bernd
>
>
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Received on Thu 21 Jul 2005 04:19:41 PM PDT