Belizeite – Belize

Central American tektites, referred to as belizeites (also belizites), represent a specific group of glassy rocks formed by the impact of an extraterrestrial body. These tektites found in the territory of Belize mostly occur as small, slightly anisometric fragments, whose original shape is practically impossible to estimate today.

Only rarely can some pieces be interpreted as having originally had the shape of drops or dumbbells, but completely preserved shapes are almost absent among the finds. Sharp to slightly rounded edges of fracture surfaces are typical, indicating that the transport of these bodies after impact was very short.

Belizeites are the result of common impact processes, where molten material was ejected into the atmosphere, rotated into shape, and then fell back to Earth. Due to tension and post-impact processes, most bodies shattered. Although one piece with a more pronounced shlieren structure was described, resembling the so-called Muong Nong type known from the Asia-Australia field, it was not a classical example of this type because the characteristic layering was absent.

The surface of belizeites is usually finely pitted, and other types of surface textures are not present. Sometimes the surface is glossy, but more often slightly worn, probably due to weathering or a short subfossil transport history. In appearance, Belize tektites most resemble African ivorites.

The source crater of Central American belizeite tektites is probably the Pantasma circular structure in the Pantasma Valley in northern Nicaragua. This impact depression has a diameter of 14.5 km and is located approximately 540 km southeast of the tektite sites in Belize.

Research has confirmed the presence of typical impact markers such as glass with lechatelierite content, decomposed zircon, and chromium isotopes originating from ordinary chondrite. In addition, a match in the age of glass formation from the Pantasma crater and the belizeites themselves has been confirmed, supporting the theory that this was the site of an extraterrestrial impact that ejected material into the atmosphere and then onto Earth's surface.

Direct field searches for belizeites, for example in gravel pits east of Spanish Lookout, were often unsuccessful. A skilled geologist familiar with the area confirmed that no tektites were found in the gravel pits at that location.

Although it is not impossible that a piece may be found in the future outside the known sites, negative results from these locations indicate a limited transport range of these tektites—their relative fragility and small size probably did not allow their preservation over greater distances.