Moldavite
Measurements: ~1-1/8" long x 3/4" wide x 3/8" deep
Location: Czech Republic
Weight: ~3.7 grams
We will include a printed description card about Moldavite with the specimen. The card also serves as a letter of authenticity.
Moldavite is a unique type of Tektite, which are a natural variety of glass formed by meteorite impact. The meteorite's super-heated mass strikes the ground with such force that it can melt silicate material from the earth's surface. This material is then catapulted into the air where it cools and lands many miles away from the impact site in the form of a Tektite.
Moldavite's green, semi-translucent color makes it a unique curiosity among Tektites, and the only one suitable for faceting as a gemstone. It is found almost entirely in what is now the Czech Republic, though smaller amounts of the same material have been found in Germany and Austria. Current scientific opinion is that all of the material came from the same impact, a meteorite that fell some 14.5 million years ago and caused the crater-like depression in western Bavaria, Germany called the Nördlinger Ries.
Most Moldavite is collected in and around the Moldau River, and is named after the town of Moldauthein in the Czech Republic.