microtektite

Microtektites of millimetre and smaller size, first discovered in 1968, exhibit wider variation in composition than the large tektites; e.g., their silica content can be as low as 50 percent, similar to that of terrestrial basalts. Microtektites have been found so far only in deep-sea…

…land in Australasia and associated microtektites from the bottom of the Indian Ocean, moldavites from central Europe, and Libyan Desert glass from western Egypt. Owing to their extremely high chemical durability under the sea, microtektite compositions are of significant commercial interest for hazardous waste immobilization or conversion.