Description
What looks like stone is, on closer inspection, frozen time. Australites are tektites from the Australasian strewn field — impact glass formed 780,000 years ago, likely from a Southeast Asian impact. The distinctive ‘button’ shape — a disk with a flanged rim — formed as the glass sphere re-entered the atmosphere at an oblique angle, partially melting and being sculpted by atmospheric pressure into this aerodynamic form. They are natural atmospheric re-entry vehicles.
This specimen originates from South Australia, one of the world’s most significant localities for this type of material. Collectors and scientists have drawn from this region for generations, and for good reason: the combination of geological conditions here produces specimens of exceptional quality and clarity.
Every specimen is unique. Photographs approximate the visual experience, but the real thing — its weight, its luster under a raking light, the way it catches the corner of your eye — can only be experienced directly.
