Black Onaping Impact Breccia, Melt Glass Sudbury

Onaping Impact Breccia with Glass and Stretched Metal

The Onaping Formation contains impact breccia, a unique rock type formed by the intense energy of impact events. This breccia originates from the Sudbury Impact Structure in Ontario, Canada. It is characterized by a fragmented, clastic texture, featuring embedded fragments of varying sizes within a fine-grained, often dark-colored matrix. This texture is a hallmark of impact breccias, which form when violent impacts shatter and fuse rock fragments together.

Key Characteristics of Onaping Breccia

In specimens of Onaping breccia, angular rock fragments are set within a darker matrix, perfectly aligning with typical descriptions of this formation. Additional features include reflective surfaces and varied grain sizes, which are consistent with breccias formed from high-energy impacts. These impacts melted and mixed rock materials, producing the unique textures observed in Onaping breccia.

Additional Distinctive Features of Black Onaping Glass

One of the most striking features of the Onaping breccia is the presence of shiny, glassy areas within the matrix. These glossy inclusions indicate the presence of impact glass, a material formed during the intense heat and pressure of an impact event. This glassy texture results from the partial melting of rock materials, followed by rapid cooling that preserves the glassy appearance.

The glassy or melted regions in the breccia appear as irregularly shaped, reflective fragments scattered throughout the finer-grained, darker matrix. In some cases, stretched metal particles are also present, further emphasizing the high-energy nature of the impact event. These features highlight the dynamic processes at play during the Sudbury impact, which melted local rocks and produced glass, melt-rich breccia, and other distinctive impact structures such as shatter cones.

Specimen Details

Size of Specimen: 72mm L X 68mm W X 9mm D. Weight: 99 grams. This specimen contains some interesting "flowing" glass matrix with stretched metal flakes. Both sides polished smooth.

What's Included

Ships with a Certificate of Authenticity, tag, tag stand, and scientific information about Onaping impact. Photo cube and plexiglass riser are not included.

Rare Melt Glass from Sudbury

This is a great opportunity to add this very rare specimen of Onaping impact breccia with melt glass from the Sudbury Impact Structure to your collection.

Ships with a Certificate of Authenticity, tag, tag stand and information about Onaping impact breccia and glass.