For readers who want the full picture
Detailed explanation
A large impact melts and ejects terrestrial surface material. Droplets and fragments solidify during flight into tektite glass.
Known strewn fields include Australasia, Central Europe, North America and the Ivory Coast.
- Material
- terrestrial impact glass
Why tektites are not meteorites
The impactor came from space, but the tektite itself consists mainly of melted terrestrial rock. It must therefore be labelled separately as impact material in the shop.
Terrestrial rock transformed by impact
A large impact melts and partly vaporises near-surface terrestrial rocks almost instantly, ejecting them far from the crater. Droplets and sheets solidify in flight into silicate glass with very low water content.
The high temperature homogenises material more strongly than in many volcanic glasses. Tektites generally contain no chondrules or typical meteoritic metal. They are products of a meteorite impact but are not extraterrestrial meteorites themselves.
Strewn fields, shapes and names
Major strewn fields include the Australasian, the Central European moldavite field, the North American field of bediasites and georgiaites, and the Ivory Coast field. Age, chemistry and distribution connect each with an impact.
Rotating droplets form spheres, discs, tears and dumbbells. Some Australasian tektites were aerodynamically reshaped during later re-entry. Surface pits can result from etching and weathering and should not simply be called regmaglypts.
Short & simple
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Natural terrestrial glass from the ejecta of large impacts — not meteorites.
- A large impact melts and ejects terrestrial surface material. Droplets and fragments solidify during flight into tektite glass.
- Known strewn fields include Australasia, Central Europe, North America and the Ivory Coast.
Sources & editorial note
Sources & databases
Editorially paraphrased prefill, reviewed 12 August 2026. The linked sources support further specialist verification.