RE-EVALUATING THE NORTH AMERICAN TEKTITE STREWN FIELD AND THE SINGLE IMPACT HYPOTHESIS

Tektites are dark-colored aerodynamically sculpted glass forms that are found in strewn fields around the world. They are theorized to form as melt-ejecta from select bolide impacts on Earth’s surface. Significant tektites from the North American strewn field have been found in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina and have been associated with the Chesapeake Bay impact event which occurred approximately 35 Ma. Additional microtektites have been identified in Texas, North Dakota, and Central America and attributed to the Chicxulub impact event at approximately 65 Ma. However, Georgian and South Carolina (georgiaites) and Texan (bediasites) tektites have distinct color differences which may indicate different source craters.

Tektites located throughout Texas and Georgia were found in concentrations of gravel and sand presumed to have weathered out of middle to late Eocene deposits. Samples included in this study were found in the field and contributed by private collectors. We are exploring the relationships between the sizes, shapes, mass, locations, and compositional variability of georgiaites and bediasites in an attempt to determine if the Chesapeake Bay impact event or possible multiple events are responsible for these tektites.

A special thank you goes out to the bediasite and georgiaite hunting and collecting communities who generously shared their acquired knowledge and samples from years of work. Results to be presented at conference.