June, 1953 
THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST 
Sixty-one 
together with microscopic observa- 
tion of thin sections. The writer 
has also discussed the matter with 
authorities, either personally or by 
correspondence, in all the Aus- 
tralian States, as well as in North 
America, Europe, Asia and Africa. 
I beg to acknowledge assistance 
either by personal conversations 
and exchange of papers and speci- 
mens, or in other cases by extended 
correspondence and exchange of 
papers and specimens with the fol- 
lowing authorities: L. J. Spencer 
and Campbel 1-Smith (London), 
Leonard (California) , La Paz and 
Cassidy (New Mexico) , Paneth 
(Durham) , Barnes (Texas for 
Bediasites) , Nininger (Arizona), 
Oleszkowicz (Michigan), Douglas 
Johnson and Clyde Fisher (New 
York), Lacroix (Paris, lor Indo- 
Chinites), von Koenigswald (Java, 
for Javanites), Shelton (Malay, 
for Billitonites) , F. E. Suess and 
Michel (Vienna) , Otley Beyer 
(Manila, P.I., for Rizalites), Young 
(Cape Town) , also Summers, Kerr 
Grant, Skeats, Dunn, Glauert, 
Whitehouse, Scott, David, Geo. 
Baker, Walkom, Mahony, and 
others (Australia). Some of these 
workers have passed on, and some 
may have been overlooked, but I 
am grateful to them all. My special 
thanks for inspiration are due to 
Dr. Summers, and Franz Ed. Suess, 
and Fritz Paneth. 
F. A. Paneth, in “Endeavour”, 
January, 1953, gives accounts of 
the detection and quantitative 
analysis of rare gases contained in 
iron and stone meteorites. He has 
elsewhere dealt similarly with glass 
meteorites (tektites). Paneth and 
his fellow workers reach some 
astonishing conclusions, namely, 
that some iron meteorites solidified 
less than 1,000,000 years ago. The 
age of the earth is generally taken 
as 2,000,000,000 years, and the 
age of the solar system as 
about 3,000,000,000 years. Several 
other meteorites gave ages of 
7.000. 000.000 years, “several times 
the supposed age of the earth and 
very close to the supposed age of 
the Universe.” 
Hoyle (Cambridge) says the 
Galaxy “cannot yet be as old as 
50.000. 000.000 years.” (Hoyle is a 
keen astronomer). 
Harrison Brown (Chicago arid 
California) has recorded that “in 
meteorites scientists posses a 
Rosetta Stone that may well prove 
to be a major key in answering 
some of the problems of the solar 
system, and perhaps of the universe 
itself.” This would not exclude the 
glass meteorites (tektites) though 
Brown does not specifically men- 
tion them. 
Professor George Gamow of the 
George Washington Museum— a 
brilliant astronomer— says “Astron- 
omical evidence clearly indicates 
that the multitude of stars we see 
in the sky— our own Sun among 
them— could not have existed 
eternally and were probably 
formed earlier than some 
2.000. 000.000 years ago from the 
hot primordial gas that previously 
filled all the universe.” It is not 
possible to discuss glass meteorites 
(tektites) without wandering into 
the realms of astronomy— hence 
these astronomical references. 
It is clear that the study of 
australites and other tektites leads 
us deep into human knowledge. 
The writer’s belief is that tektite 
swarms rate equally with iron and 
stone meteorites, and should be 
thus classified in collections of 
meteorites, and in publications 
concerning meteorites. 
