: a glassy body of probably meteoritic origin and of rounded but indefinite shape
Examples of tektite in a Sentence
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The researchers also noted low water content in the samples, which are characteristic of tektites more generally.
—
Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026
In the same layer, known as the K-Pg Boundary, geologists would find tektites — bits of earth that shot into space when the asteroid hit, turned glassy with the heat of the atmosphere, and fell back to the surface.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 28 Aug. 2024
Scientists have largely been able to determine the source crater for tektites, with the exception of one -- the Australasian field.
—Michelle Lim, CNN, 9 Jan. 2020
The composition of those beads, or tektites, further suggests that they were formed when a massive asteroid slammed into the Earth with the force of 10 billion Hiroshimas and ended the Cretaceous period.
—David Von Drehle, Twin Cities, 22 July 2019
These tektites formed in the Earth atmosphere in the aftermath of the asteroid or comet smashing into the Earth.
—David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 1 Apr. 2019
Tree resin at the site managed to catch some tektites before becoming fossilized as amber.
—Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 31 Mar. 2019
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Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026
In the same layer, known as the K-Pg Boundary, geologists would find tektites — bits of earth that shot into space when the asteroid hit, turned glassy with the heat of the atmosphere, and fell back to the surface.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 28 Aug. 2024
Scientists have largely been able to determine the source crater for tektites, with the exception of one -- the Australasian field.
—Michelle Lim, CNN, 9 Jan. 2020
The composition of those beads, or tektites, further suggests that they were formed when a massive asteroid slammed into the Earth with the force of 10 billion Hiroshimas and ended the Cretaceous period.
—David Von Drehle, Twin Cities, 22 July 2019
These tektites formed in the Earth atmosphere in the aftermath of the asteroid or comet smashing into the Earth.
—David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 1 Apr. 2019
Tree resin at the site managed to catch some tektites before becoming fossilized as amber.
—Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 31 Mar. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Tektite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tektite. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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