[meteorite-list] A Most Amazing "Stretch" Tektite (Rev. 2)

From: meteorites_at_space.com <meteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:44:43 2004
Message-ID: <20010327150429.10393.cpmta_at_c000.snv.cp.net>

Not sure if the first post got through to the list as I was using a UNIX type server at the time so after some revisions here goes again.

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>From Thailand this tektite is most unusual. 
 
http://www.geocities.com/american_meteorite_survey/stretch.jpg 
 
Apparently it was a dumbell that in its molten state and rapidly spinning, stretched and lost 
its other half.  The first photo shows the splayed edge to the left, and the bright 
area on the left edge, and almost in the center of that edge is a "web" effect, sort 
of like the web of skin between the fingers where the original semi-solid surface spread out as is the case for the "elbow stretch" tektites.  The entire left surface is smooth and clearly shows stretching, whereas 
the original surface that was not stretched is the typical tektite surface. 
 
The other side shows the stretching very well with the stretched surface clearly looking 
like taffy (to the left) and contrasting sharply with the original surface on the surviving portion of the 
dumbell. 
 
http://www.geocities.com/american_meteorite_survey/stretch2.jpg 
This is the most amazing "stretch" tektite that I have ever seen, and shows the effect better than most of the so called "elbows" that have been found.  I obtained it in a batch of tektites at the recent Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, and though I did not see any others like it, and there were thousands of tektites, I think that they are more common that most people think.
These "stretch" tektites are a clear indication of terrestrial origin as how could such a form survive if they had been formed on the moon and then entered the Earth's atmosphere at 7+ miles per/sec?
With the flanged buttons, maybe one could make a case for that, but these are the masses that were ejected to very high altitudes then cooled and sometime after re-entered the atmosphere.
But again I think the existence of the rare "stretch" tektite is a clear indication of terrestrial origin.
Steve Schoner, AMS
http://www.geocities.com/american_meteorite_survey 
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Received on Tue 27 Mar 2001 10:04:29 AM PST