What is the obsidian?

Obsidian is a glassy black fabric formed when lava cools in a short time. Due to the rapid cooling speed, very few crystals can form in the material. As a result, obsidian is essentially natural glass and has proved to be useful due to lack of crystals. In particular, it can be cut to have very sharp edges. It was a popular material for weapons during the Stone Age and today is used in some surgical instruments.

It is not difficult to recognize obsidian. It often has a black color and even in a difficult form is often quite shiny. It consists of about 70% of silicon oxide or more, which is responsible for its color. However, if the obsidian mix with some minerals, it may take different colors. For example, high iron or magnesium levels can cause a dark green rock instead of black. Some have a snowflake formula that is the result of forming cristobality above.ayers. This can create a rainbow or a golden obsidian. These two variants are more difficultfind in large quantities.

Obsidian is not actually a mineral or rock because it does not contain crystalline structures. Some refer to it as a mineraloid. Mineraid is a mineral that lacks crystal structures. Other examples of mineraloids include opals and pearls.

This is a relatively soft substance, only with a rating of about 5 to 5.5 V scale. Despite its softness, however, it was the preferred material for production weapons, because it could be improved to have a very sharp edge. One can still find arrows across North America made of obsidian. It could also be used for decorative purposes. Stone statues on the Easter island are made of this material.

Some surgeons, especially cardiotorak surgeon, use scalpels and surgical knives made. The sharper the knife can be, the less damage to the tissue causes when cutting. These specialLing surgical cutting tools often reduce the healing time due to their sharpness.

One can find obsidian in many places on Earth, especially in areas such as quarries or where volcanic activity has occurred. Over time, however, it deteriorates to small glass crystals. There are no examples from the earlier than the Cretaceous period, 145 to 400 million years ago.