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Moldavite

Green glass splashed across Bohemia by a meteorite impact 15 million years ago.

Family
Tektite
Formula
SiO₂ (about 80%) with Al, K, Ca, Fe, Mg, Na
Mohs
5.5 to 6.5
System
Amorphous

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Science

Moldavite is a tektite: terrestrial rock melted by the impact that made the Ries crater in Bavaria about 14.8 million years ago, flung 300 km east and cooled in flight into sculpted green drops. Its wrinkled, etched surface comes from later weathering in the ground.

Mineral
Tektite
Formula
SiO₂ (about 80%) with Al, K, Ca, Fe, Mg, Na
Crystal system
Amorphous
Mohs hardness
5.5 to 6.5
Specific gravity
2.32 to 2.38
Refractive index
1.480 to 1.500
Lustre
Vitreous
Colours
Bottle green, Olive

Composition

SiO₂ (about 80%) with Al, K, Ca, Fe, Mg, Na. Made of Silicon, Oxygen, Aluminium, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Sodium.

in formula

Origin

  • Czech Republic
    South Bohemia, Moravia
  • Germany
    Lusatia
  • Austria

Filled dots are primary sources

Rarity

Rare
4 of 5

A finite scatter of glass, mostly collected or mined out. Fake moldavite made from bottle glass is common.

  1. 1 Abundant
  2. 2 Common
  3. 3 Uncommon
  4. 4 Rare
  5. 5 Exceptional

Hardness

Moldavite sits at 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale. Glass and a knife blade are about as hard; it wears well with care.

Fingernail
Copper coin
Knife, glass
Steel file
1
2
3
4
5
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7
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9
10

Energy

Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.

Chakras

  • Heart
  • Third Eye
  • Crown

Element

  • Storm

Zodiac

  • Scorpio
  • Aquarius

Planets

  • Uranus

Properties

  • Rapid transformation
  • Awakening
  • Cosmic connection
  • Intensity

Lore

Moldavite was worked into tools in the Palaeolithic; the Venus of Willendorf was found with moldavite artefacts nearby. In the 1800s Bohemian jewellers set it as 'bouteillenstein', bottle stone.

It became the New Age's most notorious crystal in the 2020s, with online lore of 'moldavite flush' and sudden life upheaval, which the price reflects.

  • Impact
    Ries crater, Germany; the glass landed in what is now Czechia.
  • Fakes
    Molded glass fakes are shiny and bubbly; real moldavite is matte and etched.