[meteorite-list] reflective or 'glassy' surfaces

[VisualThinker7 at aol.com]

Whoa. Lots of nonsense going on here. 
 
Reflective surfaces, such as glass or some metals, DO have a crystalline  
structure. In fact, it is the uniform alignment of the surfaces of the molecules  
that make the material reflective, or glassy. 
 
Amorphous, or non crystalline materials also reflect light, but because of  
the highly varied positions of the molecules the reflections are scattered, and 
 the material is not reflective. 
 
Polishing metals aligns the surface molecules. Cleaning dust, dirt or dried  
beer off of glass restores it's reflective qualities. Cracking scratching or  
abrading a 'glassy' surface (as by sanding with sandpaper) disorganized the  
molecules, reducing the reflectivity. 
 
The heating of a meteor might create a glassy surface, however the speed of  
air striking the hot surface might also cause a chemical reaction, or pitting, 
 in which case the 'fusion crust' clearly would be caused by heat, but not  
reflective. 
 
 
PS  The term 'glassy eyed'  refers to a fixed gaze.When a person  is staring 
blankly into space you can see the reflection of light off of the  eyeballs. 
The eyes of an animated person, in constant motion, have a different  
appearance. 
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