[meteorite-list] Stretch Philippinite Tektites!

From: Aubrey Whymark <tinbider_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 17:26:31 +0000 (GMT)
Message-ID: <734927.87687.qm_at_web28504.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

Hi List

Check out my images of two stretch tektites found in the Philippine:
http://www.tektites.co.uk/stretch.html (half way down)

There is an interesting story:
Des Leong of www.tektiteinc.com showed me the 66.1g specimen and asked if I thought it was a stretch tektite. I said 'no' as Philippinites re-entered as solid bodies (unlike Indochinites). It was a curio though with a stretched bubble area sandwiched between two circular bubble areas.

Then today I was cataloging some tektites I bought in January 2009. In that lot I found a very similar specimen weighing 32.2g. It had a stretched bubble area sandwiched between two circular bubble areas (same as before). In this case, however, there was very clear twisting of the molten area.

Not necessarily the classic stretch tektite, but nonetheless I've come round to the fact that stretched tektites can be found very very rarely in the Philippines - perhaps one per 100 or 150 kilos. I think these must have formed in the ejection phase though, as I'm certain that Philippinites re-entered as solid bodies (why? well even one kilo tektites show no distortion - In Indochina spheres sagged into donuts/tori. In the Philippines they stayed as spheres even in the biggest tektites that would have remained molten the longest).

Anyway, enjoy the images, I wanted to share them!

Aubrey
www.tektites.co.uk


      
Received on Tue 08 Sep 2009 01:26:31 PM PDT