This listing details an awesome Tektite from Thailand. This series of Tektites exhibit beautiful pitted grooves and excellent texture patterns. They have a natural matte black to glossy surface luster. Most are fully opaque, but many in this series have partial translucency. The specimens that show partial translucency are a beautiful olive green in the areas that pass light. They are a perfect collectors size that fit nicely in the palm, and would display well in a grid or display box. Tektites are a truly amazing example of the marriage of earth and space.
They are a uniquely textured and chemically structured glass. They are formed by the processes of a meteorite impacting with the ground, fusing particles of sand, and trace metals (typically from the host meteorite). The force of the meteorite impact throws droplets of molten glass material high into the outer atmosphere. These droplets then rain back down to earth, cooling as they fall. The distance from the impact, and way that they fall creates a variety of shapes as they cool. Some specimens have distinctive posterior and anterior sides, while others are disc, scoop, or drop shaped. The variety of forms and textures are truly amazing.
The event which formed the tektite detailed here was known as the Australasian Impact. It occurred approximately 780,000 years ago in the Bay of Tonkin, right around the last magnetic pole reversal. Tektites from the Australasian impact are scattered throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and as far as Australia. Each location produces stones with their own unique characteristics. Many researchers believe this is related to factors including distance from the impact, maximum height of the droplet projectile, as well as certain terrestrial weathering conditions. The tektites from Thailand are often aerodynamically shaped, well formed, and semi lustrous.
Weight- 12 Grams
There is a 1cm cube in the last photograph for size reference. Nature is truly the best artist- none of our stones are oiled, polished, or treated in any way. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Thank you for looking.
1 business day
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Standard shipping is the most economical method- First Class Mail through the U.S. Postal Service. This does not come with guaranteed tracking to the destination. The package usually scans and updates within the U.S. however, international tracking is not available. It is the buyers responsibility to understand all shipping/customs policies in their country.
We offer many shipping upgrades which include tracking and insurance upon request. Please contact us to customize shipping options (such as signature confirmation and added insurance) or select 'Tracking and Insurance' as an upgrade to Priority mail.
Please note, that some destinations do not offer Priority Mail tracking.
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I ship through USPS First Class Mail in order to offer low cost shipping. Unfortunately, this service is highly variable on shipping times, and is inconsistent in tracking international. Typically packages can arrive anywhere from 10-30 business days or longer. Although First Class is my default shipping method I highly recommend upgraded shipping for express shipping times, guaranteed tracking, and insurance. Please contact us with any questions you may have or to request the use of Fed Ex or UPS services.
We can customize according to just about any request. Feel free to contact us in regards to combining shipping or to request custom parcels, specialty orders, or whole sale availability.
Safe and responsible packaging is one of our main priorities. We package every order carefully inside a high quality reinforced shipping box. Each item is wrapped individually in fresh paper towels and bubble warp. We appreciate you recycling and reusing our package material in order to keep our carbon foot print low.