Lechatelierite

An amorphousMaterial without the regular, ordered structure of crystalline solids. Amorphous substances, like glass, lack a definite repeating pattern in their atomic structures (crystallinity). There may be small regions of order, but, overall there is disorder.   Click on Term to Read More silicaSilicon dioxide, SiO2. glass formed naturally by the heat of impact/detonation of a large meteoriteWork in progress. A solid natural object reaching a planet’s surface from interplanetary space. Solid portion of a meteoroid that survives its fall to Earth, or some other body. Meteorites are classified as stony meteorites, iron meteorites, and stony-iron meteorites. These groups are further divided according to their mineralogy and Click on Term to Read More on/over quartzComposed of SiO2, quartz is one of the silica group minerals most common in Earth's crust, but never found in meteorites as inclusions visible to the naked eye. Quartz in meteorites has been found in very small quantities in eucrites, other calcium-rich achondrites, and in the highly reduced E chondrites1. Click on Term to Read More sand. Lechatelierite is found as an inclusionFragment of foreign (xeno-) material enclosed within the primary matrix of a rock or meteorite. Click on Term to Read More in Libyan Desert GlassHigh-silica glass (SiO2) found in western Egypt near the Libyan border. The glass is often worn smooth due to aeolian sandblasting and ranges in color from milky white to the gem quality translucent yellow-green. The glass often contains small bubbles and lechatelierite. The origin of the glass is still disputed, Click on Term to Read More. Most commonly formed during lightning strikes in sand.

Named for Henry Louis Le Chatelier (1850-1936), a French chemist.