Abstract
OVERVIEWOn Earth, natural glasses are typically produced by rapid cooling of melts, and as in the case of minerals and rocks, natural glasses can provide key information on the evolution of the Earth. However, natural glasses are products not solely terrestrial, and different formation mechanisms give rise to a variety of natural amorphous materials. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the different natural glasses of non-magmatic origin and on their formation mechanisms. We focus on natural glasses formed by mechanisms other than magmatic activity and included are metamorphic glasses and glasses produced from highly energetic events (shock metamorphism). The study of these materials has strong repercussions on planetary surface processes, paleogeography/paleoecology, and even on the origin of life.
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