5.35" Pica Glass (227 g) - Meteorite Impactite From Chile

Pica Glass ( g) - Meteorite Impactite From Chile #235327

This is a fascinating piece from one of the coolest geological mysteries of the last decade. Found in the Atacama Desert of Chile, these lightweight shards of flowing grey-green glass are filled with extraterrestrial matter and make for excellent display pieces that belong in every collection.

The entire piece measures 5.35 x 3.6 x 1.3" and weighs 227 grams. It comes with an acrylic display stand.

What Is Pica Glass?

Originally discovered in 2012, Pica glass is an impact glass/tektite that is found only along a 47-mile stretch of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, near the town of Pica. Upon discovery, it was thought to be an impact glass, before a brief stint of classification as large fire melt (either by natural or human means). Current literature suggests that comet explosions near the atmosphere are responsible for this alluring, swirling green-grey glass found in late Pleistocene sediments near Pica. Extraterrestrial material discovered within the glass coincides with cometary explosions in the near atmosphere within the last 12,000 to 14,000 years. This implies that the comet shower responsible for this tektite was more than likely observed by early hunter-gatherer groups of humans.

Pica glass is notably lightweight and has many folds, twists, and flow lines that accentuate its attractive, semi-translucent color. These are the result of a tumultuous paleoenvironment that was hit by the airblasts of the comet's explosion. These tektites may also be evidence of some of the closest cometary breakups in Earth's history.

CNN: An ancient fireball turned miles of the world's driest desert into glass