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Libyan Desert Glass (Tektite)
Current inventory:  3 gems
 

Chemistry:  SiO₂ (95% Silica + Al,Ca,Fe,K,Mg,Mn,Na,Ti)

Discovered in 1932;   IMA status: Not Valid
Libyan Desert Glass is named after the Libyan Desert although its locality is actually in the Western Desert in Egypt. It is called "glass" because it is natural glass made of fused silica.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Mineraloids

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

n/a

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Amorphous (natural glass)

Crystal Habit:

n/a

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

None

Fracture:

Conchoidal, Sub-conchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

6.0

Density:

2.20 (g/cm³)

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Colorless, Light Yellow, Yellow

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent

Luster:

Vitreous

Refractive Index:

1.460  Isotropic

Birefringence:

0.00 (Isotropic)

Dispersion:

n/a

Pleochroism:

n/a

Occurances

Geological Setting:

Meteor impact zones

Type Locality:

Black Desert (Libyan Desert), Central Egypt, Egypt

Year Discovered:

1932

View mineral photos:

Tektite Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org (Tektite)

Libyan Desert Glass is a beautiful straw or champagne yellow. It is a Tektite material found in the Western Desert of Egypt near the Libyan border (part of the Great Sand Sea). The occurance of this silica-glass was first documented by Patrick A. Clayton in 1932.

Until recently, Libyan Desert Glass was somewhat controversial. They were suspected to be Tektites similar to Moldavite, but were not associated with any meteor crator or impact zone. Researchers at the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University have recently discovered a very large impact crater in Egypt 31km in diameter which seems to coincide with the formation of Libyan Desert Glass. This crater has been named the Kebira Crater. The association of Libyan Desert Glass with this newly discovered crater is tentative and further research still needs to be done.

Libyan Desert Glass is similar to other Tektites such as Moldavite and Indochinites. Tektites may be Meteoric Silica Glass as a result of the impact of a meteor on Earth. Tektites are usually found in association with meteor impact craters or suspected ancient craters. Their origin is not fully understood. The leading theory, the "Meteorite Impact Theory", is that when a meteorite hits the Earth, the heat and pressure of the impact are so great that it causes rock and sand to be fused into glass or Tektites. Tektites, like all natural glasses, contain gas bubbles and "swirl" like inclusions.
 

  
Libyan Desert Glass gems for sale: