Authors
C Samson, S Butler, C Fry, PJA McCausland, RK Herd, O Sharomi, RJ Spiteri, M Ralchenko
Publication date
2014
Journal
Meteoritics and Planetary Science
Volume
49
Pages
740-749
Publisher
Wiley
Description
Ten splash‐form tektites from the Australasian strewn field, with masses ranging from 21.20 to 175.00 g and exhibiting a variety of shapes (teardrop, ellipsoid, dumbbell, disk), have been imaged using a high‐resolution laser digitizer. Despite challenges due to the samples’ rounded shapes and pitted surfaces, the images were combined to create 3‐D tektite models, which captured surface features with a high fidelity (≈30 voxel mm−2) and from which volume could be measured noninvasively. The laser‐derived density for the tektites averaged 2.41 ± 0.11 g cm−3. Corresponding densities obtained via the Archimedean bead method averaged 2.36 ± 0.05 g cm−3. In addition to their curational value, the 3‐D models can be used to calculate the tektites’ moments of inertia and rotation periods while in flight, as a probe of their formation environment. Typical tektite rotation periods are estimated to be on the order of 1 s …
Total citations
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