Libyan Desert Glass - 50g - Specimen

Locality: Great Sand Sea, New Valley Governorate, Egypt

On 29 December 1932, an Egyptian Desert Survey expedition led by P. A. Clayton was exploring the then-unmapped Great Sand Sea in western Egypt. There it came across lumps of natural glass lying on the desert floor. In 1934, the find was described in the Mineralogical Magazine: lumps weighed up to about 10 lb (4.5 kg), and smaller fragments were scattered over an area at least 80 by 25 km.

People had found the glass long before that. A piece of the canary-yellow glass was carved into the scarab at the centre of a pectoral (chest ornament) from the tomb of Tutankhamun.

The glass formed about 29 million years ago and is nearly pure silica. Melting silica takes temperatures above 1,600°C, hotter than any igneous rock on Earth. For decades, scientists argued over whether it was melted by a meteorite striking the ground or by an asteroid exploding in the air. In 2019, Aaron Cavosie and Christian Koeberl reported in the journal Geology that zircon grains in the glass carry the fingerprint of reidite, a mineral that forms only under the extreme shock pressures of a meteorite impact. No crater has yet been identified as the source.

This unique one-of-a-kind Libyan Desert Glass specimen, as a natural glass piece, has a translucent pale yellow to champagne-gold color with a naturally irregular shape, frosted areas, glossy glassy edges, small surface pits, and earthy inclusions from its desert origin.

Libyan Desert Glass is a rare natural impact glass, also called desert glass or Libyan gold tektite, found in the Sahara Desert region of Egypt. It is highly sought after by collectors for its unusual origin, soft golden color, and connection to ancient desert history.

This specimen is a great choice for mineral collectors, natural glass collectors, tektite and impactite enthusiasts, geology displays, metaphysical collections, or anyone looking for a unique natural specimen.

Libyan Desert Glass is commonly associated with transformation, manifestation, protection, clarity, and strong solar energy. Many metaphysical collectors connect it with the solar plexus chakra, personal power, confidence, and spiritual growth. It is often used as a stone for courage, higher awareness, and clearing stagnant energy.

Quantity: 1pc
Specimen Weight: 50g
With this product, you will get the actual stone in the photograph.