Tektites probably wholly terrestrial and related to continental movement

Abstract

SummaryThe four groups of tektites are now widely regarded as the product of splash from a meteoritic or cometary impact melt of terrestrial rock. They include two groups (Moldavites and Ivory Coast tektites) attributed to the Nordlinger Ries and Bosumtwi craters. These craters seem unlikely to be of impact origin, though hyper-explosive. Tektites are, therefore, more probably all wholly terrestrial. For much the largest group, those of the combined Southeast Asian-Australian strewnfield, no satisfactory source is known. An origin in Southeast Asia, even by impact, is improbable. A possible source lies in Central Asia. The hyper-explosive activity is regarded as an extreme form of volcanism, a consequence locally and rarely of the continual combined vertical and ‘horizontal’ movements of continents, here termedtribulation.