Basic Introduction of Libyan Desert Glass
The Libyan Desert Glass is a natural glass composed of nearly 98% pure silica, and it is also the purest natural glass in the world. It begins to melt at temperatures as high as 1700°C; when heated to 500 degrees, even if immediately discarded into water, the Libyan Desert Glass does not decompose. These extremely unique properties have long made the Libyan Desert Glass regarded as a creation of mysterious forces.
Product Features
The shapes of most tektites resemble those of splash-melted materials, commonly black or dark green, translucent. They are generally believed to be caused by meteorite impacts, where large meteorite collisions quickly melt and rapidly cool the debris on the surface and from the meteorite itself, forming various shapes such as spherical, dumbbell-shaped, droplet-shaped, button-like, and irregular blocks. They are brittle and often exhibit a conchoidal fracture after breaking. The sizes of terrestrial tektites range from a few millimeters to over ten centimeters, appearing dark under reflected light, but thin edges can be translucent with different colors ranging from yellow to green, olive-brown to dark brown. Their specific gravity is usually between 2.3 to 2.6, and their refractive index is 1.48 to 1.62. Compositionally, they show consistency within the same region but significant differences across different regions. However, SiO2 content is always very high, essentially 100% glass.
Historical and Folklore
On December 29, 1932, British explorer Patrick Clayton discovered a mysterious golden glass in one of the most remote and desolate areas on Earth, near the Libyan Desert west of Egypt. Since then, the Libyan Desert Glass has fascinated all scientists regarding its origin. Additionally, archaeologists studying the countless treasures in King Tutankhamun's tomb were puzzled by the scarab amulet in the young king's jewelry. Researchers knew that this sacred scarab was made of glass, but could not determine which ancient Egyptian glass matched its lightweight form and mineral inclusions. Finally, in 1998, an Italian mineralogist proved that the scarab amulet was made of Libyan Desert Glass Tektite.
It is known that the Libyan Desert Glass originates from the western desert of Egypt. Scientists from the San Diego Research Laboratory have confirmed that this glass formed during the ancient Kebira impact event 30 million years ago. A 120-meter-wide asteroid entering the Earth's atmosphere caused an explosion equivalent to 11,000 megatons.
This scorching fireball melted quartz grains in the desert. One wonders whether the ancient Egyptians, using their advanced technology and scientific knowledge, deduced the extraterrestrial origin of the Libyan Desert Glass in some way and decided to set it alongside their most precious gems for the king.