This text commences with the history of tektites, from mediaeval China, through finds in Czechoslovakia in the 18th century and Darwin's description while on the Beagle, to 20th-century finds in South East Asia, the Ivory Coast and the USA. The four major strewn fields are described, followed by their extension by deep sea finds of microtektites and the recognition of irregular, large layered tektites in SE Asia.

Comprises 28 papers which grew out of the International Conference on Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution, August/September, 1992 in Sudbury, Ontario. The interdisciplinary papers, encompassing diverse studies from trace element geochemistry to planetary exploration, are arranged into f

Published in association with North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California.

Stones of the New Consciousness begins with a new approach to meditation with stones, and to the possibility of conscious relationship with the spiritual beings who express themselves in our world as crystals and minerals. This beautifully designed book examines the most important stones that help accelerate and enhance human evolution. Each entry is illustrated with color photos of exceptional examples. The stones include Moldavite, the extraterrestrial amorphous crystal; Nuummite, the oldest gemstone on Earth; and Circle Stones, the highly energetic Flint found in crop circle formations. Other featured rarities include Nirvana Quartz from the Himalayas and high-vibrational Natrolite from the emerald mines of Russia. Author Robert Simmons includes historical and mythological references for each stone, positing that the fabled Stone of the Holy Grail and the Philosopher's Stone of the alchemists may have physical counterparts among the materials discussed. Simmons presents practices for deepening one's awareness of the stones' gifts--from expanding one's consciousness, to healing, to fulfilling one's personal and collective destiny. While emphasizing direct contact with stones, the book also explores crystal energy tools, energy environments, and applications such as stone elixirs and essences that can aid anyone on a spiritual path.

Evidence is presented which shows that the Australian and Java tektites entered the earth's atmosphere and experienced ablation by severe aerodynamic heating in hypervelocity flight. The laboratory experiments on hypervelocity ablation have reproduced ring-wave flow ridges and coiled circumferential flanges like those found on certain of these tektites. Systematic striae distortions exhibited in a thin layer beneath the front surface of australites also are reproduced in the laboratory ablation experiments, and are shown to correspond to the calculated distortions for aerodynamic ablation of a glass. About 98 percent of Australian tektites represent aerodynamically stable configurations during the ablative portion of an entry trajectory. Certain meteorites exhibit surface features similar to those on tektites.