Tektites & Impactites
Indulge in your meteorite interest and browse our extensive collection of visually striking tektites and impactites at Fossils UK. Ethically sourced and hand-selected from finders, collectors, and dig sites, our range of tektites and impactites offers a wonderful insight into the meteorites that have landed on our planet and their intricate chemical compositions. Our items can be the perfect addition to your collection or work great as a quirky desk tidy. Choose from fascinating pieces, including Moldavite, Indochinite, and Libyan desert glass.
What is a tektite?
What makes meteorites so fascinating isn’t just the bodies that make themselves known on Earth; it’s the materials and items they leave behind. Tektites, for example, are pieces of natural glass found in certain areas of the Earth’s surface formed when meteorites impact the Earth. While mostly made up of melted terrestrial rock, some tektites contain pieces of meteorites. Their striking black or glossy green appearances make them incredibly appealing to collectors.
What is an impactite?
It’s easy to conflate tektites and impactites as one and the same, but subtle differences set them apart. Impactites are rocks created or modified by meteorite impacts. They are considered metamorphic rocks due to the heat and pressure that play a part in their source materials. Impactites are rare as the impact required to generate the heat and pressure that transforms the rocks is so massive that they rarely occur.