Description
Impactite, also known as impact glass, is a type of rock formed or altered by the impact of a meteorite. It consists of shock-metamorphosed target rocks, melt products such as suevites and combinations thereof, as well as sedimentary rocks with significant impact-related components (such as shocked mineral grains, tektites, and anomalous geochemical signatures). In June 2015, NASA reported the detection of impact glass on Mars, which could potentially contain preserved traces of ancient life, if it existed. When a meteorite strikes a planet, the energy released by the impact can melt rock and soil. If this liquid cools and solidifies rapidly, shock glass forms before the atoms can arrange themselves into a crystalline structure. This glass is dark brown, almost black, and partially transparent.
