TEKTITES AND THE LOST PLANET — STAIR 



223 



expected between samples from different tekite falls. An examination 

 of these transmission data in relation to the values for chemical com- 

 position given in table 1 is an example of just one method of scientific 

 investigation into the physical and chemical properties of these glasses. 



100 



300 



380 



460 540 620 700 



WAVELENGTH, MILLIMICRONS 



780 



860 



Figure 3. — Spectral transmittances of seven tektites from various sources: No. 9, a Libyan 

 Desert glass from Egypt; No. 8, a moldavite from Radolvibix, Bohemia; No. 6, from 

 Empire, Ga.; the others from Texas (see fig. 2). 



DISRUPTION OF THE METEORIC PLANET 



Now that we have the tektite glasses, as well as the other glassy 

 silicates, together with the other meteoric material located within a 

 planet (or planets) possibly between Mars and Jupiter, what next? 

 That is the $64 question. But the planet, if it existed, did break up 

 for some reason — but how ? Not because of an atomic or superbomb 

 made by intelligent beings — there were none. There could have been 

 an atomic explosion, or even a collision with a stray planet from out- 

 side our solar system. It is believed, however, that the answer is to 

 be found elsewhere. Suppose, for example, that two similar planets 

 existed within this region of the solar system — two similar planets 

 (rather than dissimilar) because all meteorites indicate a formation 

 at the various levels of temperature and pressure that would be ex- 

 pected in a single planet wherein equilibrium conditions were attained 

 (Brown, 1948; Palmer, 1951) at a single high value at the center. 

 These planets would have been acted upon by the giant planet Jupiter 

 in such a way that their individual orbits would have been constantly 

 changed (Kuiper, 1951) relative to each other and to Jupiter. Under 



