Black Onaping Impact Breccia, Glass Sudbury

Black Onaping Impact Breccia with Melt Glass

Onaping Formation impact breccia, which is a rock type formed from impact events, specifically from the Sudbury impact structure in Ontario, Canada. The breccia is characterized by its fragmented, clastic texture with embedded fragments of various sizes within a fine-grained matrix, often dark-colored. This texture is consistent with the appearance of impact breccias, where the violent impact has shattered and fused rock fragments together.

In this specific specimen, the presence of angular fragments set within a darker matrix aligns well with typical descriptions of Onaping breccia. The reflective surfaces and varied grain sizes are also common in breccias resulting from high-energy impact processes, which melted and mixed rock materials at the impact site.

Distinctive Characteristics of Black Onaping Glass

The presence of shiny, glassy areas within the breccia matrix suggests the presence of impact glass. These glossy inclusions are characteristic of glassy impact melt, which forms during the intense heating and pressure of an impact event. In the case of the Onaping Formation breccia, these glassy or melted regions are typical and result from the partial melting of rock materials, followed by rapid cooling, which preserves the glassy texture.

These melt particles often appear as irregularly shaped, reflective fragments scattered throughout the darker, finer-grained matrix of the breccia. The Sudbury impact event was known to produce these kinds of features, as the high energy involved in the impact melted local rocks, which then cooled quickly to form glass or melt-rich breccia.

Specimen Details

Size of Specimen: 70mm L X 63mm W X 9mm D. Weight: 103.6 grams. This specimen contains some minor glass matrix with stretched metal flakes. Great diversity of material in this specimen! 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. Also a paper on the difference between suevite and breccia is included.

Rare Opportunity

This is a great opportunity to add this 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.