Tektite var. Libyan Desert Glass Ventifact

Libyan Desert Glass is believed to be the result of the impact of a large meteorite, or the result of a significant aerial burst explosion around 28.5 million years ago (dated by the fission track method). They are the purest form of natural glass on earth, containing over 96% silica. They were first discovered by ancient Egyptians as evidenced by a scarab beatle carvings found on the mummy of King Tutankhamun. Today they are found in the deep Saharan desert, two days driving into a militarized zone near the border of Libya and Egypt (good times!). The leading theory leans towards an aerial burst ten thousand times more powerful than the Hiroshima nuclear detonation (Boslough). Some pieces have dark streaks; chemical analyses of these inclusions show enrichment by meteoritic elements, such as Osmium, with typical chondritic proportions (Koeberl C.). 

 This is a monster, museum quality piece of Libyan desert Glass. The color is a rich, gem quality yellow color. This is a ventifact which is a stone that is naturally shaped by the wind. In the third picture I use my hand to show the line on the piece where it was emerging out of the sands of the Sahara desert. Where it was above the sand, the texture is smooth and polished. Below the line, it is a little more coarse. Large ones like this are quite rare with the rich, top  gemmy yellow color. It weighs 406 grams.