Description: For sale is a beautiful example of Libyan Desert Glass. This specimen weighs 20 grams. This piece also has cristobalite inclusions. Libyan Desert Glass (or LDG) occurs as a concentration of glass fragments of a broad range of sizes strewn across the desert surface between the NNW-SSE-trending linear sand dunes along the southwestern margin of the Great Sand Sea in western Egypt; it was discovered by the international scientific community in 1932. Despite the difficulty of access to the region where the glass occurs, at least 20 geologists have examined its field context in the course of at least 10 expeditions since 1932. Many more individuals have undertaken laboratory analyses of materials brought back by the various field parties. These analyses have established that the gross chemical composition of Libyan Desert Glass approximates that of both the sandstone of the Nubia Formation that underlies the Great Sand Sea and the quartz aggregate of the dunes. A fissiontrack age of 21 million years has been assigned to the glass. The quality of internal equilibration among various components distributed through the glass supports the interference that the fusion process that presumably formed the glass occurred at a high temperature: that temperature was sustained for a long time; and that the glass cooled to ambient temperature slowly. LDG was formed during an impact to the Nubian sandstone that underlies this region. The chemical composition of the Nubian sandstone and the LDG are very very similar. An impact structure named the Kebira Crater was found in 2006 and is thought to be the source crater. Kebira Crater is 20 times the diameter of Meteor Crater and is situated about 80km from the center of the LDG strewnfield. LDG has been aged at 28.5 million years old by fission track dating methods. LDG has historically been used to make tools and also for decorative purposes. LDG was even found in King Tutankhamuns tomb, a scarab carved from LDG adorns a necklace found within the tomb. Unfortunately, as there is no official governing body for the sale of Libyan Desert Glass, they are an unregulated item meaning that any certificate of authenticity that comes with a meteorite is worth the paper it is printed on and nothing more. It has no binding value for insurance or legal purposes. It is a feel-good assurance from the dealer that the specimen is authentic and as-described. You can frame it and display it with the specimen, but it has no value in and of itself. For those reasons, I cannot give you a certificate of authenticity. I can however guarantee you as a Geologist and meteorite dealer who has been studying and collecting meteorites for many years that all of my specimens are genuine. . . . . .
Price: 40 GBP
Location: Enfield
End Time: 2025-01-08T21:59:35.000Z
Shipping Cost: 24.9 GBP
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Item Specifics
Returns Accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Type: Meterorites/ Tektites
