earth science

Maskelynite

Maskelynite is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Maskelynite rather than just read about it. In short: Maskelynite is a glassy material found in some meteorites and meteorite impact craters. Typical samples are similar in composition to plagioclase feldspar, and revert to that mineral when melted and recrystallized.

Key takeaways

Maskelynite belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Maskelynite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Maskelynite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Maskelynite is a glassy material found in some meteorites and meteorite impact craters. Typical samples are similar in composition to plagioclase feldspar, and revert to that mineral when melted and recrystallized. It was named after British geologist M.H.N. Story-Maskelyne. Since maskelynite (like the volcanic glass obsidian) lacks an orderly arrangement of atoms, it is not considered a "mineral" by geologists, and is not listed as such by the Mineralogical Society of America.

History The phase was first identified in the Shergotty meteorite by G. Tschermak (1872) as an isotropic glass of an unknown origin with near labradorite composition. Similar phases were found in chondrites and Martian meteorites. In 1963, D. J. Milton and P. S. de Carli produced a maskelynite-like glass by subjecting gabbro to an explosive shock wave. In 1967, T. E. Bunch and others identified maskelynite in the Clearwater West and Manicouagan impact structures.

Origin At first, maskelynite was believed to result from solid-state transformation of plagioclase into diaplectic glass by a relatively low-pressure shock wave (250 to 300 kilobars) and low-temperature (350°C), as in Milton and de Carli's experiment. Since 1997, this hypothesis has been challenged and now it is believed that the glass is formed by the quenching of dense mineral melts produced by higher-pressure shock waves.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Maskelynite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Maskelynite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Maskelynite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Maskelynite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Maskelynite

In research: Maskelynite appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Maskelynite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Maskelynite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Glass in nature, Impact event minerals, Meteorite minerals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Maskelynite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Maskelynite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Maskelynite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Maskelynite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Maskelynite in simple terms?

Why does Maskelynite matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Maskelynite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Maskelynite.