Pica Glass - Cometary Airburst Melt-Glass - Complete Individual - 7.17g - Chile (Atacama)
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PIC-01/93
Pica Glass is a rare natural glass from the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, found across a broad corridor near the town of Pica. Current research links its formation to intense low-altitude airburst events near the end of the Pleistocene, where extreme heat rapidly melted surface material into silicate glass. This places Pica Glass within the wider field of impact-related and meteorite-associated materials, although it is not classified as a traditional Tektite.
Specimens of Pica Glass are typically dark green to black, often showing twisted, folded, and flow-textured forms. Many pieces are lightweight and irregular, with glossy surfaces, bubbles, and complex shapes created as molten material cooled quickly under turbulent conditions. Research has also reported meteoritic dust and mineral evidence consistent with very high temperatures, adding to its scientific interest.
For collectors, Pica Glass offers an unusual and increasingly recognised category of natural glass connected to high-energy cosmic events. Its limited geographic occurrence, distinctive form, and ongoing research context make it especially appealing for impactite, Tektite, and meteorite-related collections. Each specimen preserves a record of rapid melting and cooling in one of Earth’s most extreme desert environments.