Moldavite
A bottle-green natural glass from the Czech Republic, made when an asteroid struck southern Germany about 15 million years ago.
Moldavite is a tektite: a piece of natural glass formed from melted Earth rock that was flung high above the ground by an asteroid impact, then fell back as splashes. The impact that made moldavite dug the Ries crater in Bavaria, Germany, about 24 kilometres wide and roughly 14.8 million years old. Molten sandy surface rock was hurled up to a few hundred kilometres to the east, and most moldavites are found in southern Bohemia and Moravia in the Czech Republic, with smaller numbers in Austria and eastern Germany.
Moldavite is not a meteorite, because it is made of Earth rock, not space rock. It matters to scientists because it ties a specific glass to a specific crater, helping to show how impacts throw material over great distances.
Genuine pieces are translucent olive to bottle green, usually smaller than a matchbox, with deeply sculpted, wrinkled surfaces caused by natural etching in the soil. Under a lens you may see tiny bubbles and swirls. Fakes made from coloured bottle glass are very common, so buy only from trusted sellers, and check local rules before collecting in the field.
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Level: Explorer Ages 10 and up