{"title":"Billitonite - Tektite","description":"\u003cp\u003eBillitonite is a rare regional variety of Tektite from Belitung Island, Indonesia, formerly known as Billiton Island. It is part of the wider Australasian strewn field, which formed around 790,000 years ago during a major impact event that dispersed natural glass across a vast area of Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Indian Ocean region. Locally, Billitonite is often known as ‘Batu Satam’, and it has a strong cultural and collector identity on Belitung Island.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBillitonites are typically glossy black and are especially recognised for their deep natural grooves, pits, and sculpted surface textures. Many specimens are rounded or irregular in form, with a bright enamel-like lustre that sets them apart from more common Indochinites. Much of the material has historically been recovered from alluvial tin-mining areas, where pieces were found below the surface in association with local sediments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStudying Billitonite provides insight into the regional diversity of the Australasian Tektite strewn field and the effects of long-term terrestrial preservation on natural impact glass. For collectors, Billitonites are desirable because of their limited locality, distinctive black glassy appearance, and strong association with Belitung Island. Each specimen represents a natural glass formed by cosmic impact processes and preserved as one of Indonesia’s most recognisable Tektite materials.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0757\/0518\/8678\/collections\/Collection_Place_Holder_cb5e1506-14f2-4cf5-8d2a-31e38971c23b.jpg?v=1779460103","url":"https:\/\/outerspacer.com\/collections\/billitonite-tektite.oembed","provider":"OuterSpacer Meteorites","version":"1.0","type":"link"}