These bubbles can produce interesting effects such as a golden sheen ( sheen obsidian). Obsidian may contain patterns of gas bubbles remaining from the lava flow, aligned along layers created as the molten rock was flowing before being cooled. In some stones, the inclusion of small, white, radially clustered crystals ( spherulites) of the mineral cristobalite in the black glass produce a blotchy or snowflake pattern ( snowflake obsidian). Very few samples of obsidian are nearly colorless. Most black obsidians contain nanoinclusions of magnetite, an iron oxide. Iron and other transition elements may give the obsidian a dark brown to black color. Pure obsidian is usually dark in appearance, though the color varies depending on the impurities present.
Although newly formed obsidian has a low water content, typically less than 1% water by weight, it becomes progressively hydrated when exposed to groundwater, forming perlite. This transformation of obsidian is accelerated by the presence of water. Exceptionally old obsidians include a Cretaceous welded tuff and a partially devitrified Ordovician perlite. Because obsidian is metastable at the Earth's surface (over time the glass devitrifies, becoming fine-grained mineral crystals), obsidian older than Miocene in age is rare. Crystalline rocks with a similar composition include granite and rhyolite. Obsidian consists mainly of SiO 2 ( silicon dioxide), usually 70% by weight or more. Though obsidian is usually dark in color, similar to mafic rocks such as basalt, the composition of obsidian is extremely felsic. It is sometimes classified as a mineraloid. Obsidian is mineral-like, but not a true mineral because, as a glass, it is not crystalline in addition, its composition is too variable to be classified as a mineral. Tektites were once thought by many to be obsidian produced by lunar volcanic eruptions, though few scientists now adhere to this hypothesis. Intrusive formation of obsidian may occur when felsic lava cools along the edges of a dike. Extrusive formation of obsidian may occur when felsic lava cools rapidly at the edges of a felsic lava flow or volcanic dome, or when lava cools during sudden contact with water or air. Obsidian is formed from quickly cooled lava, which is the parent material. The Natural History by the Roman writer Pliny the Elder includes a few sentences about a volcanic glass called obsidian ( lapis obsidianus), discovered in Ethiopia by Obsidius, a Roman explorer. Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 36,67 (AD 77) In the past, it was used to manufacture cutting and piercing tools, and it has been used experimentally as surgical scalpel blades. Obsidian is hard, brittle, and amorphous it therefore fractures with sharp edges. Together with rapid cooling, this results in a natural glass forming from the lava. The high viscosity inhibits diffusion of atoms through the lava, which inhibits the first step ( nucleation) in the formation of mineral crystals. These flows have a high content of silica, giving them a high viscosity.
It is commonly found within the margins of rhyolitic lava flows known as obsidian flows. Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminium, sodium, and potassium.
ən, ɒ b-/) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. However, I fear that these methods could possibly weaken the (already delicate) structure of the obsidian.Naturally occurring volcanic glass Obsidian I have considered subjecting the scalpel to strong dose of UV radiation or perhaps 'cleaning' the scalpel with Povidone-Iodine (Betadine). I did try looking up the structure that obsidian assumes at the molecular level, with the hope that the knowledge would help me narrow down possible sterilization methods I could use here, but I drew a blank there as well. Knowing how delicate this thing is, I doubt conventional methods (such as autoclaving it) used to sterilize surgical tools could be safely applied in this case.Īs the use of obsidian blades in surgery is relatively new, I'm not surprised that I can't find any literature dealing with the sterilization of obsidian blades online. I don't actually plan on operating on someone with this, but all the same, I'd like to identify potential methods to sterilize such a blade. Now these scalpels are pretty fragile, with some of them having a thickness of the order of 0.1 mm. I recently came across this article on the use of obsidian scalpels in surgery: How Stone Age blades are still cutting it in modern surgery
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