Philippinite

Philippinites are tektites from the Philippines and belong to the extensive Australasian tektite strewn field. They formed approximately 788,000 years ago during a major impact event in Southeast Asia, when terrestrial rocks were melted and part of the material was ejected into the atmosphere. Philippinites are known especially from the island of Luzon, and some Philippine tektites are also referred to as rizalites.

They are typically characterized by a dark brown to black color and a strongly sculpted glassy surface. Philippinites occur in various forms, including rounded, oval, teardrop-shaped and elongated specimens. Their surfaces may be covered with pits, grooves and other structures, whose present appearance reflects both the original shaping of the molten material and long-term weathering after deposition.

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Philippinites as Part of the Australasian Strewn Field

The Australasian strewn field is the largest known tektite strewn field on Earth and covers a large part of Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia. Philippinites represent its characteristic Philippine group. Although the age of this impact event is very well established, the source crater of the Australasian tektites has not yet been conclusively identified.

Philippinites consist of natural silicate glass formed from terrestrial material during an impact event. Their shapes, sizes and surface structures can vary considerably from specimen to specimen, making them interesting both as evidence of an ancient impact event and as collectible tektites.