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Magma rich in silica and poor in dissolved water is most easily cooled rapidly enough to form volcanic glass. As a result, rhyolite magmas, which are high in silica, can produce tephra composed entirely of volcanic glass and may also form glassy lava flows. [2] Ash-flow tuffs typically consist of countless microscopic shards of volcanic glass. [3]
Obsidian talus at Obsidian Dome, California Polished snowflake obsidian, formed through the inclusion of cristobalite crystals. The Natural History by the Roman writer Pliny the Elder includes a few sentences about a volcanic glass called obsidian (lapis obsidianus), discovered in Ethiopia by Obsidius, a Roman explorer.
Helenite, also known as Mount St. Helens obsidian, emerald obsidianite, and ruby obsidianite, is a glass made from the fused volcanic rock dust from Mount St. Helens and marketed as a gemstone. [1] [2] Helenite was first created accidentally after the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.
Pele's hair, with a hand lens as scale Strands of Pele's hair under microscope view. Pele's hair (closest modern Hawaiian translation: "lauoho o Pele " [1]) is a volcanic glass formation produced from cooled lava stretched into thin strands, usually from lava fountains, lava cascades, or vigorous lava flows.
Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently.
Tachylite from Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii (view is about 9 cm across) Tachylite (/ ˈ t æ k ə l aɪ t / TAK-ə-lyte; also spelled tachylyte) is a form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt. It is a type of mafic igneous rock that is decomposable by acids and readily fusible.
Obsidian is a common volcanic glass with high silica (SiO 2) content formed when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly. [16] Impactite is a form of glass formed by the impact of a meteorite , where Moldavite (found in central and eastern Europe), and Libyan desert glass (found in areas in the eastern Sahara , the deserts of eastern ...
Obsidian projectile point.. Obsidian is a naturally formed volcanic glass that was an important part of the material culture of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.Obsidian was a highly integrated part of daily and ritual life, and its widespread and varied use may be a significant contributor to Mesoamerica's lack of metallurgy.