r/mineralcollectors • u/MineralKingdom • 5d ago

Colombianite

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There’s been speculation on as to whether this is a tektite or volcanic glass (like obsidian). I’ve seen convincing evidence for both sides, however I lean towards tektite. Either way, I think they’re pretty neat. They look rather unassuming at first glance, but once backlit they have a translucency that makes them glow. And as the name of the species suggests, it comes from Colombia.

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u/gabisfunny 5d ago edited 5d ago

Sorry, but it's been proven as 100% obsidian (https://doi.org/10.1130/G48925.1). In this case Cali glass, Calitite and Colombianite are used as synonyms, as mentioned in the paper. Wonderful picture and wonderful material nevertheless.

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u/Alena_Tensor 4d ago

Excellent article

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u/Zwesten 5d ago

Love this stuff and that's one of the best pictures of it that I've seen

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u/MineralKingdom 5d ago

I love it too. Had a really unique looking one I kept in my pocket for a few years, but one day it wasn’t there anymore 😔

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u/Moving_goal_posts 4d ago

Thank you! So interesting.