tektite, Any of a class of small, natural glassy objects found on the Earth’s surface and associated with meteorite impacts. The extremely high temperatures and enormous pressures generated when a large meteorite, comet, or asteroid hits the Earth melt the rocks at the site, producing masses of molten droplets that are blasted into and out of the Earth’s atmosphere. The droplets cool quickly to a glassy form and then fall back to the Earth.
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