Australite Tektites

Australite tektites are a group of tektites generally believed to be members of the very large Indochina strewnfield. However, Australites are distinguished from other indochinites by their shape. They have traveled from the still unlocated impact site in a very different way from other tektites and have ablated surfaces and have developed flanges of melted glass on their perimeters. These flanged Australites are highly prized and rare. Often the flange with be thin and transparent. On the surface that was facing down during flight and melted are often seen an intricate pattern of circular ridges. These ring waves produced by the air currents on the liquid surface can be both interesting and beautiful. On most occasions the ablation surface or aerodynamic stress shield has detached from the main body of the specimen resulting in the formation of a core type Australite. These though lacking any flange remain very interesting tektite specimens.

All of our Australite specimens are from the Darryl Futrell Collections of Tektites. Specimens with catalog numbers beginning with the letters “FA” are hand numbered specimens from his collection.