Obsidian, Volcanic Glass...? .... PS ....

October 27, 2009

In a message dated 10/27/2009 8:19:54 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

jerryandkramer writes:

~~~~I'm confused; what is the difference between Volcanic Glass, &

Obsidian ( & it seems to me there was one more stone that comes from volcanos)?

How does one tell the difference between these two (or three)?~~~~

When I plugged in " volcanic glass " as my search term in Wikipedia this is

what comes up (multiple links):

_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_glass_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_glass)

Volcanic glass

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Volcanic glass can refer to any of several types of _vitreous_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitreous) _igneous rocks_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igneous_rock) . Most commonly, it refers to:

* _Obsidian_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian) , a _rhyolitic_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyolitic) glass with high _silica_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica) content.

Other types of volcanic glass include:

* _Pumice_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumice) , which is

considered a glass because it has no crystal structure.

* _Apache tears_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_tears) , a kind

of nodular obsidian.

* _Tachylite_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachylite) (also spelled

tachylyte), a _basaltic_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basalt) glass with

relatively low silica content.

* _Sideromelane_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideromelane) , a less

common form tachylyte.

* _Palagonite_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palagonite) , a basaltic

glass with relatively low silica content.

* _Hyaloclastite_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyaloclastite) , a

hydrated tuff-like breccia of sideromelane and palagonite.

* _Pele's hair_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele's_hair) , threads

or fibers of volcanic glass, usually basaltic.

* _Pele's tears_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele's_tears) ,

tear-like drops of volcanic glass, usually basaltic.

* _Limu o Pele_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limu_o_Pele) (Pele's

seaweed), thin sheets and flakes of brownish-green to near-clear volcanic

glass, usually basaltic.

Retrieved from " _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_glass_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_glass) "

" Codail, suaimhnigh i nge/aga nadragain "

" Sleep, rest in the arms of the Dragon "

October 28, 2009

Aloha ReNau and all. We were recently give some material found here on Maui

determined to be Obsidian that had a very strong pulsing energy, so the

discussion of how it was formed came up. The most reputable sources said it

forms when the hot lava hits cold water. As our islands are primarily volcanic

soil, there is little quartz or other mineral formation. I've been told that

tourmaline has been found here too, and that it's formation is volcanic in

nature, but have not actually seen any. Olivine (also called Peridot) can

be found here also. Mahalo for information. . .