What color is obsidian in real life?

By Laura S. Harris
Sep 11, 2021

Though obsidian is typically jet-black in colour, the presence of hematite (iron oxide) produces red and brown varieties, and the inclusion of tiny gas bubbles may create a golden sheen. Other types with dark bands or mottling in gray, green, or yellow are also known.

How old is obsidian rock?

20 million years. Obsidian is short-lived relative to most crystalline rocks. Most obsidian is younger than 20 million years, because any obsidian older than that has devitrified, or changed from glass to crystalline rock. Over eons, the silica molecules within the glass slowly rearrange into organized crystal structures.

Is obsidian really strong?

Strong almost beyond compare and able to stand huge blasts, glossy, black obsidian is forged in the very fires of the earth. ... That's because obsidian is glass, and rather than being super tough, it's brittle, shattering easily. But this lends obsidian its greatest strength, something early humans knew all about.

Is obsidian rare?

Obsidian is relatively unstable from a geologic perspective. It is rare to find obsidian older than about 20 million years, which is very youthful in comparison to most continental rocks that form the Earth's crust.

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References

• https://www.britannica.com (Oct 2, 2021) Obsidian | Rock, Color, Composition, & Uses | Britannica
• https://www.usgs.gov (Sep 2, 2004) Volcano Watch — Obsidian, a scarce commodity in Hawaiʻi - USGS
• https://www.minecraft.net (Jan 27, 2017) Block of the Week: Obsidian | Minecraft
• https://volcano.oregonstate.edu (Oct 2, 2021) Obsidian | Volcano World