Drop (teardrop) – Shapes of Moldavites
Droplet-shaped moldavites, sometimes also called teardrops, belong to the most popular shapes.
Do moldavites have a volcanic origin?
According some theories moldavites are of volcanic origin.
The smallest moldavites
The smallest moldavites are natural fragments usually of the size of about 2mm and of weight of several hudreths of a gram. They are approximately 5000 times lighter than the biggest moldavites.
Abrasion – a damage of the surface of a moldavite
What is abrasion Mechanic abrasion of moldavites is basicaly a scraping of the surface during which the original surface is lost. In other words the surface is ground off. What does abrasion look like?
Gloss of moldavites
Gloss of the surface is another feature which is not uniform when it comes to moldavites. We not only recognize several shades of colour but also various degrees of gloss. On the surface, gloss usually varies but inside it is uniform.
The colour of moldavites
The colour of most tektites (see tektites overview) is at the first sight black (in the case of thin cuts the colour is brown or yellowish). Beautiful green colour of moldavites is unique and rare among tektites.
Natural divided (fragmented) moldavites
They are moldavites which probably got broken in the sediment and all its parts were recovered. A moldavite like that is usually broken into two or three parts. The desintegration happens most often during diageneses which is the process of “maturation”, “settling” of the sediment. A moldavite breaks because of the pressure of upper layers.…
Ferruginous sandstones on moldavites
Ferruginous sandstones can be found on the surface of moldavites along with stuck grains of surrounding minerals – clays and sands. They can be found even more rarely in partially opened bubbles. They are usually rust-coloured or light brown.
Natural holes
Sometimes you can see a moldavite with one or several holes through it. I do not mean man-made drille holes, but holes of natural nature.
Internal structure of moldavites – fluidal texture
Moldavites are very homogeneous compared to other natural glasses. Moldavites don’t contain unmelted mineral grains and crystallites – thanks to the fact that moldavites origin at high temperature. Fluidal texture Moldavites have fluid-like texture. Fluidal arrangement is the basic attribute of the moldavite texture. It shows the lines of flow of the molten material before…
