[meteorite-list] Tektite Buttons

[Michael L Blood]

Hi Mike and all,
        Jim Tobin did some great work on Australite buttons, making
Modified "thin sections" from a cross section of a button that clearly
Showed the ring forming from ablation and curling around the edge.
        I first saw these many years ago and bought one of the slides,
Thinking it was one of the coolest things I had seen. I believe he
Published a report on this within the last 2 years - eather in METEORITE
TIMES or on METEORITE Magazine. Perhaps one of the list members
(or Jim, if he is reading this) could tell the list what issue of which one.
        Best wishes, Michael

on 4/5/08 8:07 AM, Michael Gilmer at michael_w_gilmer at yahoo.com wrote:

> this does not reasonably
> explain
> the appearance of "button" tektites of the
> Australite variety.  Although I must admit, the first
> time I saw a button-type tektite, my first thought
> was not atmospheric-ablation or sculpting.  My first
> thought was a splatter-type impact artifact.  If you
> have ever taken a spoonfull of viscous batter and
> dropped it on the floor, the outer edges of the mass
> will spread outward while the central area is uplifted
> somewhat.  I had erringly assumed that similar
> physics were at work with the button-types.  Perhaps
> a massive detonation on impact liquified a combination
> of meteorite and earthly-minerals which were blasted
> upwards and then fell back to earth - forming into a
> button when the material hit the ground again.

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